Tennessee basketball’s first two matchups at the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas are set.
The Vols will face Rutgers on Monday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. ET in the very first game of the event. Tennessee will turn around and face Houston at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 25. The Vols will play a third game either on Wednesday, Nov. 26 or Thursday (Thanksgiving). Tennessee’s opponent will be decided by the results of the first two games of the event.
The Players Era Tournament, which gives NIL money to participating players, includes 18ness teams in its second year. Each team is guaranteed three games. Other marquee teams in the event include Alabama, Auburn, Gonzaga, Michigan, Kansas and St. John’s.
Expectations are low for Rutgers entering the 2025-26 season. The Scarlett Knights failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season despite boasting two lottery picks in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. Rutgers has failed to make the NCAA Tournament the last three seasons under Steve Pikiell and is coming off a pair of losing seasons.
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Bart Torvik is low on Rutgers entering Pikiell’s 10th season as head coach, ranking the Scarlett Knights as the No. 94 team in the country in his current ranking. Tennessee ranks 12th for comparison.
While Tennessee’s first matchup in Las Vegas doesn’t look overly difficult, its second one will be an extreme challenge. Houston is in the conversation to be the nation’s top team next season after losing to Florida in the national championship game a season ago.
The Cougars return starters Milos Uzan, Emanuel Sharp and Joseph Tugler while adding five-star forward Chris Cenac to the mix making Kelvin Sampson’s squad a legit title contender.
Of course, Houston ended Tennessee’s season last year with a 69-50 dominant victory in the Elite Eight. The result kept Tennessee from its first Final Four in program history while propelling Houston to the national title game.
With the announcement of the two games, Tennessee’s non conference schedule continues to come into view. The Vols will host Louisville at home, travel to Syracuse for the ACC-SEC Challenge and face Illinois in Nashville. Unless Tennessee adds a seventh matchup against a power five opponent, the third game at the Players Era is Tennessee’s only power five opponent that is not yet clear.
