2026-27 Men’s College Basketball Early Season Tournaments

USC won the Maui Invitational last Thanksgiving week, but a late-season collapse saw the Trojans miss the NCAA Tournament. | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Since teams are now able to schedule up to 32 regular-season games with no multi-team event exemption/requirement—starting with this season—this page will focus solely on bracketed and other multi-day/multi-game events (think Players Era and round-robin tournaments). Since there’s no need to set up scheduling arrangements masquerading as exempt tournaments, there’s no longer a need for me to track what every single D1 program is doing.

Teams may also now participate in more than one tournament per season!

Alabama A&M MTE

Fri.–Sun., Nov. 13–15: Normal, Ala.
2 games, triangular round-robin (The D1 Docket)

Alabama A&M (SWAC)
Cleveland State (Horizon)
West Florida (ASUN, reclassifying)

Rainbow Classic

Fri.–Mon., Nov. 6–9: Honolulu (Rocco Miller)
3 games, round-robin

Cal State Fullerton (Big West)
Hawai’i (MW, host)
Portland (WCC)
UT Arlington (UAC)

Players Era 8

Tues.–Thurs., Nov. 17–19: Las Vegas
3 games, traditional bracket

Quarterfinals (Tues., Nov. 17)

Florida (SEC) vs. Notre Dame (ACC)
Houston (Big 12) vs. Rutgers (Big Ten)
Kansas (Big 12) vs. UNLV (MW)
West Virginia (Big 12) vs. Auburn (SEC)

Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship

Thurs. and Fri.. Nov. 19 and 20: Nassau, Bahamas
2 games, triangular round-robin (Rocco Miller)

NC State (ACC)
Seton Hall (Big East)
Wisconsin (Big Ten)

U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam

Fri.–Mon., Nov. 20–23: Charlotte Amalie, V.I.
3 games, traditional bracket (PDF)

Quarterfinals (Fri., Nov. 20)

Temple (American) vs. Middle Tennessee (CUSA)
Indiana State (MVC) vs. Stephen F. Austin (Southland)
UT Martin (OVC) vs. Southern Illinois (MVC)
East Carolina (American) vs. Utah Valley (Big West)

Charleston Classic

Fri. and Sun, Nov. 20 and 22: Charleston, S.C.
2 games, preset matchups

Dayton (Atlantic 10)
Minnesota (Big Ten)
Northwestern (Big Ten)
Oklahoma State (Big 12)
Utah (Big 12)
Virginia Tech (ACC)

Acrisure Series

Sat.–Thurs., Nov. 21–26: Palm Springs, Calif.
Varied formats

Sat., Nov. 21

Fordham (Atlantic 10) vs. Portland (WCC), 2 p.m.
UC Irvine (Big West) vs. San Diego (WCC), 4:30 p.m.*
Cal Baptist (Big West) vs. Loyola Marymount (WCC), 7 p.m.*

Sun., Nov. 22

San Diego vs. Fordham, 2 p.m.
UC Irvine vs. Loyola Marymount, 4:30 p.m.*
Cal Baptist vs. Portland, 7 p.m.*

Pod 4 Semifinals

Seattle (WCC) vs. UC San Diego (Big West), 9:30 p.m.*
San José State (MW) vs. Loyola Chicago (A 10), 12 a.m. 11/23*

Mon., Nov. 23

Tulsa (American) vs. Oregon State (Pac-12), 2 p.m.
Nevada (MW) vs. San Francisco (WCC), 4:30 p.m.*
Illinois State (MVC) vs. Santa Clara (WCC), 7 p.m.*

Pod 4 Finals

Championship, 9:30 p.m.*
Consolation, 12 a.m. 11/23*

Tues., Nov. 24

Oregon State vs. San Francisco, 2 p.m.
Tulsa vs. Illinois State, 4:30 p.m.*
Nevada vs. Santa Clara (WCC), 7 p.m.*

Pod 2 Semifinals

Grand Canyon (MW) vs. Saint Louis (A 10), 9:30 p.m.*
Stanford (ACC) vs. Colorado (Big 12), 12 a.m. 11/23*

Wed., Nov. 25

Arizona State (Big 12) vs. LSU (SEC), 2 p.m.
USC (Big Ten) vs. South Carolina (SEC), 4:30 p.m.*
SMU (ACC) vs. Utah State (Pac-12), 7 p.m.*

Pod 2 Semifinals

Championship, 9:30 p.m.*
Consolation, 12 a.m. 11/23*

Thurs. Nov. 26

South Carolina vs. Arizona State, 2 p.m.
Utah State vs. USC, 4:30 p.m.*
SMU vs. LSU, 7 p.m.*

Northern Kentucky MTE

Mon.–Wed., Nov. 23–25: Highland Heights, Ky.
2 games, triangular round-robin (The D1 Docket)

Bellarmine (ASUN)
Georgia Southern (Sun Belt)
Northern Kentucky (Horizon, host)

Maui Invitational

Mon.–Wed., Nov. 23–25: Lahaina, Hawai’i
3 games, traditional bracket (PDF)

Quarterfinals (Mon., Nov. 23)

Mississippi (SEC) vs. Clemson (ACC)
Washington (Big Ten) vs. BYU (Big 12)
VCU (Atlantic 10) vs. Providence (Big East)
Colorado State (Pac-12) vs. Arizona (Big 12)

Fort Myers Tip-Off

Tues. and Thurs., Nov. 24 and 26: Fort Myers, Fla.
2 games, preset matchups

Tues. Nov. 24

Pitt (ACC) vs. Oklahoma (SEC)
DePaul (Big East) vs. Purdue (Big Ten)

Thurs., Nov. 26

Pitt vs. DePaul
Oklahoma vs. Purdue

Cancún Challenge

Tues. and Wed., Nov. 24 and 25: Cancún, Mexico
3 games, traditional bracket + 1 on-campus game

Mayan Division Semifinals (Tues., Nov. 24)

Southeastern Louisiana (Southland) vs. Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
North Dakota (Summit) vs. Detroit Mercy (Horizon)

Riviera Division Semifinals (Tues., Nov. 24)

Eastern Michigan (MAC) vs. Kennesaw State (CUSA)
UTEP (MW) vs. Charleston (CAA)

On-Campus Games

Tues., Nov. 17: Detroit Mercy at Eastern Michigan
Fri., Nov. 20: Southeastern Louisiana at Kennesaw State
Sat., Dec. 5: North Dakota at UTEP
Fri., Dec. 18: Northern Colorado at Charleston

Players Era 16

Tues. and Thurs.–Sat., Nov. 24 and 26–28 Las Vegas
3 games, traditional bracket, plus overall championship game

Quarterfinals (Tues., Nov. 24)Left Bracket

Tennessee (SEC) vs. Maryland (Big Ten)
San Diego State (Pac-12) vs. Iowa State (Big 12)
St. John’s (Big East) vs. Oregon (Big Ten)
Louisville (ACC) vs. Texas Tech (Big 12)

Right Bracket

Gonzaga (Pac-12) vs. Kansas State (Big 12)
Baylor (Big 12) vs. Alabama (SEC)
Michigan (Big Ten) vs. Creighton (Big East)
TCU (Big 12) vs. Miami (Fla.) (ACC)

Live Oak Holiday Classic

Wed.–Sat., Nov. 25–28: Wilmington, N.C.
3 games, round-robin (Rocco Miller)

Liberty (CUSA)
Princeton (Ivy)
St. Thomas (Summit)
UNCW (CAA, host)

ESPN Events Invitational

Mon.–Fri, Nov. 23–27: Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
2 games, preset matchups

Adventure Group (Mon.–Wed., Nov. 23–25)

Akron (MAC)
App State (Sun Belt)
Belmont (MVC)
St. Bonaventure (A 10)
Wright State (Horizon)
Yale (Ivy)

Magic Group (Thurs. and Fri. Nov. 26 and 27)

Boston College (ACC) vs. UCF (Big 12)
Cincinnati (Big 12) vs. Georgia (SEC)

Boston College vs. Cincinnati
UCF vs. Georgia

Battle 4 Atlantis

Thurs. and Fri, Nov. 26 and 27 (probable): Paradise Island, Bahamas
2 games, preset matchups (Group 1) and traditional bracket (Group 2) (Matt Norlander)

Group 1

Marquette and Xavier (Big East) vs. Texas A&M (SEC) and Virginia (ACC)

Group 2

Memphis (American) vs. Mississippi State (SEC) (Rocco Miller)
Penn State (Big Ten) vs. Wake Forest (ACC)

Rady Children’s Invitational

Thurs. and Fri, Nov. 26 and 27: San Diego
2 games, traditional bracket

Semifinals (Thurs., Nov. 26)

Georgetown (Big East) vs. Texas (SEC)
UCLA (Big Ten) vs. Saint Mary’s (WCC)

Boise MTE

Fri.–Sun., Nov. 27–29: Boise, Idaho (Mountain America Center)
3 games, traditional round-robin (Rocco Miller)

Boise State (Pac-12)
Drake (MVC)
North Dakota State (Summit)
North Texas (American)

Hofstra MTE

Fri.–Sun., Nov. 27–29: Hempstead, N.Y.
3 games, traditional round-robin (Rocco Miller)

Colgate (Patriot)
Hofstra (CAA, host)
Merrimack (Metro)
Vermont (AE)

Lafayette Classic

Fri.–Sun., Nov. 27–29: Easton, Pa.
3 games, traditional round-robin (Rocco Miller)

Lafayette (Patriot, host)
Le Moyne (NEC)
Maine (AE)
Niagara (Metro)

Stony Brook MTE

Nov. TBA: Stony Brook, N.Y. (Rocco Miller)
2 games, triangular round-robin

Lindenwood (OVC)
New Haven (NEC, reclassifying)
Stony Brook (CAA, host)

Hawai’i Thanksgiving Week Event

Nov. TBA: Honolulu (Rocco Miller)
Format TBD

Fresno State (Pac-12)
Hawai’i (MW, host)
Sacramento State (Big West)
1 TBD

The Dallas Tournament

Fri.–Mon., Dec. 18–21: Frisco, Texas
2 games, set matchups (Rocco Miller)

Fri., Dec. 18

Colorado State (Pac-12) vs. Nevada (MW)
Florida Atlantic (American) vs. Loyola Chicago (Atlantic 10)

Sat., Dec. 19

Utah State (Pac-12) vs. Tulsa (American)
San Francisco (WCC) vs. George Washington (Atlantic 10)

Sun., Dec. 20

Florida Atlantic vs. Colorado State
Loyola Chicago vs. Nevada

Mon., Dec. 21

Tulsa vs. San Francisco
Utah State vs. George Washington

Southern California Event

Mon.–Wed., Dec. 21–23: San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (Rocco Miller)

Boise State and Oregon State (Pac-12) vs. New Mexico (MW) and Santa Clara (WCC)

Hawai’i Holiday Event (Diamond Head Classic?)

Dec.. TBA: Honolulu (Rocco Miller)
Format TBD

Hawai’i (MW, host)
3 TBD