The Players Era Festival delivered some great matchups and moments over its first two days, setting the stage for the big showdowns with plenty of NIL money on the line. The third place game sees Kansas and Tennessee face off after each won twice earlier in the tournament, with $300,000 on the line.
The season has been far from easy for Kansas (5-2), though this week in Las Vegas might help change the perception about this team. The Jayhawks have been playing without star freshman Darryn Peterson but still got solid wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse to get themselves into this game. Previous double-digit losses to Duke and North Carolina remain disappointing, though Kansas can alleviate some of that with a good showing Wednesday night.
Across the court, the vibes are awesome for Tennessee (7-0), as the Volunteers survived a tough battle and got an upset over Houston on Tuesday. A perfect start to the season began relatively unchallenged with five home wins and then Rutgers on Monday before that amazing revenge effort against the same Cougars team that knocked them out in last year’s Elite Eight.
Kansas vs. Tennessee: When and Where
Date: Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 7:00 pm ET
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Kansas vs. Tennessee: Where to Watch or Stream
Watch: TNT
Streaming: FuboTV
Kansas vs. Tennessee: Betting Odds
Spread: Tennessee Volunteers -5.5, Kansas Jayhawks +5.5
Moneyline: Tennessee Volunteers -220, Kansas Jayhawks +209
Total: 140.5
Kansas vs. Tennessee: Series History
All time series: Kansas leads 5-3
Last meeting: Kansas 69, Tennessee 60 (November 22, 2023)
Projected Starting Lineups
Kansas Jayhawks
Flory Bidunga (16.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg)
Tre White (14.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Bryson Tiller (9.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Melvin Council Jr. (9.2 ppg, 5.5 apg)
Jamari McDowell (1.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg)
Tennessee Volunteers
Ja’Kobi Gillespie (19.2 ppg, 5.7 apg)
Nate Ament (19.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg)
Felix Okpara (9.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg)
Cade Phillips (5.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
Bishop Boswell (4.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg)
The level of opposition takes a steep increase for the Jayhawks, as this Tennessee team looks like the real deal early this season. The Volunteers win this game if their defense shows up like it has earlier in this event, while Kansas really needs Flory Bidunga to have a great game. If Kansas was fully healthy, they might be in a different position but it’s hard to argue against what the Volunteers have been doing in recent weeks, especially with how their own freshman Nate Ament is playing.
There are no foregone conclusions in Las Vegas. Can Kansas get a third win in three days and notch their first major victory on their resume? Do the Volunteers ride their talent and stern defense to a third place finish in the Players Era Festival?