​For the third straight season, the Oregon Ducks will compete in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas on Thanksgiving weekend. In 2024, the Ducks ran the table, beating Texas A&M, San Diego State and Alabama en route to being crowned as champions. That wasn’t the case last season, when they fell to San Diego State, Auburn and Creighton by a combined 38 points.Oregon certainly hopes that the tides turn this November, and it’ll start against the St. John’s Red Storm of the Big East. The tournament schedule was released on Tuesday, with the Ducks taking on the Red Storm on Nov. 24 at Michelob Ultra Arena.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe game will feature a matchup of two of the more successful coaches in college basketball history, as Dana Altman will lead Oregon while Rick Pitino will lead St. John’s. Altman ranks 15th in history in head coaching wins (792) while Pitino ranks third (915).If the Ducks beat the Red Storm, they’ll go up against the winner of the Louisville Cardinals and Texas Tech Red Raiders matchup on Nov. 26. Advancing to the semifinals with a victory over the Red Raiders or Cardinals would result in a matchup with either the Iowa State Cyclones, Maryland Terrapins, San Diego State Aztecs or Tennessee Volunteers.While that may seem like a long shot considering Oregon won just 12 games in 2025-26, its lowest win total in nearly two decades, the Ducks’ roster turned over greatly with several highly-talented players now joining the mix.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThey’ll be put to the test early in the season in the Players Era Festival against some of the best teams in the country, but it’ll all begin with a matchup with St. John’s on Nov. 24.Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon to take on St. John’s in 1st round of 2026 Players Era Festival