Men’s Basketball Set to Participate in Players Era Festival – Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men’s basketball team will compete in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nev., starting on Nov. 26. The field also includes Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M.

“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,” head coach Nate 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.”

The three-game tournament is a first-of-its-kind annual men’s in-season college basketball competition with more than $1 million in name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities available for players surrounding the games. In addition to introducing an entirely new structure for an early-season tournament, there will also be live music and financial education programming for participating student-athletes.

The Players Era Festival

• Alabama will open the Players Era Festival against Houston
• This will be the third meeting between the Tide and the Cougars in the last four seasons
• The Crimson Tide defeated No. 14 Houston, 83-82, at Coleman Coliseum during the 2021-22 season and defeated the No. 1 Cougars, 71-65, on the road in 2022-23
• Alabama’s second contest of the Players Era Festival will feature either Notre Dame or Rutgers
• Alabama is 2-4 all-time against Notre Dame, having last faced the Fighting Irish in the 2022 NCAA Tournament
• The lone matchup between Alabama and Rutgers came in 1969, when the Tide defeated the Scarlet Knights, 80-69
• EverWonder’s sponsors will be offering at least $1M in NIL opportunities for athletes on each participating team surrounding the Players Era Festival. Scholarship student-athletes will be eligible to participate in innovative NIL activities that are fully compliant with NCAA regulations.

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