Alabama basketball to open Las Vegas tournament vs. Houston, per report
Alabama’s first foe in the NIL-driven Players Era Festival has reportedly been revealed.
The Crimson Tide will tip off the Thanksgiving week college basketball tournament in Las Vegas against the Houston Cougars, according to ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas.
This will mark the seventh all-time meeting between Alabama and Houston, which is currently locked in a 3-3 tie. It will be the third time the two programs have met during Nate Oats’ tenure as the head coach, and the Crimson Tide was victorious in both games that were part of a home-and-home series with the Cougars in 2021 (83-82) and 2022 (71-65).
Last season, Houston finished the 2023-24 campaign with a 32-5 (15-3 Big 12) record. A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Duke.
The Players Era Festival event will include $1 million payouts for the eight participating schools. Alabama is one of them, along with Houston, Creighton, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M, according to CBS Sports. The Tide faced three of those teams a year ago (Creighton, Oregon and Texas A&M) and registered a 2-1 record.
According to CBS Sports, the Players Era Festival will be played as two four-team formats with Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame and Rutgers in one multi-team event. “After two games in four-team bracket play, there will be standalone neutral-site games, including one championship game between the teams that went 2-0 in their respective brackets.”
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“We are always going to support our student-athletes at the highest levels and do everything we can to help them succeed. The Players Era Festival aligns with those objectives,” Oats said. “In addition to playing quality opponents in an NCAA Tournament-like atmosphere, the trip should provide our players with access to NIL opportunities. We’re looking forward to being part of the inaugural class of participants.”
This will be the first year of the event, but CBS Sports reports the field will increase to at least 16 teams in 2025. Alabama could be making its way back to Las Vegas in 2025, as many of the teams have already signed up for a 3-year agreement. Gonzaga, Michigan, Syracuse, Saint Joseph’s and St. John’s are expected to be added to the field next year, per ESPN.
Alabama’s 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 11 – McNeese State
Nov. 15 – at Purdue
Nov. 20 – Illinois (Birmingham)
Nov. 26 – vs. Houston (Las Vegas)
Nov. 27 – vs. Notre Dame/Rutgers (Las Vegas)
Nov. 29 – vs. TBD (Las Vegas)
Dec. 14 – Creighton
Dec. 18 – at North Dakota
Dec. 22 – Kent State
TBD – ACC/SEC Challenge
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