Report: Alabama Basketball's Players Era Festival Opponents Revealed

The Crimson Tide will head to Las Vegas and face the Gonzaga Bulldogs and UNLV, who acquired former Alabama player Naas Cunningham from the transfer portal.

Nov 26, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats watches the game against the Houston Cougars during the second half at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey (Tyge) O'Donnell-Imagn Images / Jeffrey (Tyge) O'Donnell-Imagn Images

After falling to Oregon in the inaugural Players Era Festival championship game in Las Vegas last season, Alabama men's basketball is set to compete in the NIL-fueled event once again.

The Crimson Tide's matchups for this year's Players Era Festival were announced on Tuesday morning, per UMHoops' Dylan Burkhardt.

The Crimson Tide will face Gonzaga on Monday, Nov. 24 at 8:30 p.m. CT. The next day, head coach Nate Oats and company will go head-to-head with UNLV at 11 p.m.

Alabama lost four players to the transfer portal, including wing Naas Cunningham, who redshirted as a freshman this past season. Cunningham ended up transferring to UNLV in April and he'll face his former team during the Players Era Festival.

The Crimson Tide will also play a third game based on the results from these first two matchups.

UNLV finished last season with an 18-15 record, including an 11-9 slate against the Mountain West Conference. The Rebels missed out on the NCAA Tournament after falling to Utah State in the quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament. UNLV fired head coach Kevin Kruger at the end of the season and hired former Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner to take his place.

Gonzaga finished last season with a 26-9 record, including a 14-4 slate against the West Coast Conference. The Bulldogs won the WCC Tournament and were named a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, despite a nail-biting game with the eventual runner-up from the National Championship, Gonzaga lost to Houston 81-76 in the Round of 32.

Alabama's Current 2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule

• Nov. 3: vs. North Dakota
• Nov. 8: at St. John’s
• Nov. 13: vs. Purdue
• Nov. 19: at Illinois (in Chicago)
• Nov 24: vs. Gonzaga (Players Era Festival in Las Vegas)
• Nov. 25: vs. UNLV (Players Era Festival in Las Vegas)
• Dec. 3: vs. Clemson (SEC/ACC Challenge)
• Dec. 7: vs. UTSA (12/7)
• Dec. 13: vs. Arizona (in Birmingham for C.M. Newton Classic)
• Dec. 21: vs. Kennesaw State (in Huntsville)
• TBD: vs. Yale
• TBD: vs. USF

Read More:

feed