"Over two days, Iowa State defeated St. John's, the reigning Big East champion, on Monday and then dominated Creighton by 18 points a day later, despite playing without star Tamin Lipsey. Yet, the Cyclones were matched Wednesday against Syracuse, which had lost both of its games in Las Vegas, because Iowa State's overall margin of victory (plus-19) wasn't sufficient enough to earn a spot in the championship or third-place games."
"Berger on Tuesday said the event would not make any changes to its current format even after admitting that fans in Las Vegas had told him that they didn't understand the way it works. On Wednesday, he said he realized the format for an 18-team tournament may not work with a 32-team event next year, which prompted his swift reversal."
Organizers will consider changing the Players Era Festival format when the field expands to 32 teams after rethinking their stance following online backlash and delayed matchup announcements. The event used matchup criteria based on margin of victory, record, AP ranking, head-to-head record, points allowed and points scored through two games. The existing 18-team format produced controversial pairings, as Iowa State won two games but was matched against a winless Syracuse because overall margin of victory (plus-19) did not qualify it for the title or third-place games. The title winner earns $1 million in additional NIL compensation plus a $1 million participant guarantee; the runner-up receives $500,000.
Read at ESPN.com
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