As announced earlier this month, Maryland Basketball will take part in the 2025 Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The Terps are replacing the previous program of their new head coach, Buzz Williams, who was at Texas A&M, in the tournament field. Maryland is set to face UNLV on Monday, November 24 and Gonzaga on Tuesday, November 25.
Depending on the results from the first two days of action, Maryland could face another quality opponent after their initial matchups. The Players Era Championship Game and Third-Place Game are both scheduled for Wednesday, November 26.
Maryland's matchup with UNLV is set for a 12 AM ET/9 PM PT tip-off on TNT and the Terps will meet Gonzaga the following day at 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT on truTV. UMD is 2-7 all-time against UNLV and Gonzaga combined. The Terps have not faced UNLV since 1986 and last met Gonzaga in 2008.
One of the premier multi-team events in college basketball, this year's Players Era field will also feature Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, St. John's, Syracuse, and Tennessee. Each program is guaranteed at least $1 million just for participating, with further payouts given based on performance. Last year, Williams guided Texas A&M to a 2-1 Players Era finish with victories over Creighton and Rutgers and a loss to eventual champion Oregon.
Participation in the 2025 Players Era Festival offers Maryland Basketball an excellent opportunity to boost its NIL resources while facing off against NCAA Tournament-quality competition in the first month of Buzz Williams' tenure. Given that 14 of the 18 participating programs made the 2025 NCAA Tournament and Maryland has zero players returning from last year's Sweet 16 squad, this event should be a solid litmus test for how well the Terps stack up in 2025-26.