Former Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Josh Pastner reacts in the second half of the first round of the ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNLV Basketball Draws Maryland And Alabama In 2025 Players Era Festival Matchups

Originally posted on UNLV Rebels on SI
By Mark Morales-Smith | Last updated Jul 1, 2025 1:49 PM ET

The UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team will be competing in the 2025 Players Era Festival on Thanksgiving week. The tournament will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, starting on Monday, November 24, and concluding on Wednesday, November 26. UNLV's opponents for Monday and Tuesday of "November Mania" have now been revealed. In order to win their share of the more than $20 million pot, the Rebels will have to get by the Maryland Terrapins on Monday and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Tuesday.

UNLV will be a heavy underdog in this tournament, despite the fact that they do have a kind of home-court advantage with the games being played in Las Vegas, even if it isn't on their actual home court. While neither game is going to be easy, we do think they could have a very good shot to win one of their two opening games and perhaps advance to Wednesday. Let's break these games down.

Heat in the desert pic.twitter.com/pXSbx421Kd
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) June 29, 2025

UNLV vs Maryland

Maryland will almost certainly be the favorites in this game come November, but that doesn't mean that head coach Josh Pastner's new-look Rebels won't be able to compete with them. Games like this will be a great test to see where UNLV is at. They will have to be able to beat teams like the Terrapins if they are going to get to where they are trying to go. While this is Maryland's first year in this tournament, it's not the first year for their new head coach Buzz Williams. Williams coached Texas A&M in the tournament last year, and now they are out in Maryland is in. While playing a team that won two NCAA Tournament games last year could look like a tall task, Maryland may also be a team in transition early on this year.

UNLV vs Alabama

There is no sugarcoating this one. The Crimson Tide is going to be tough to beat. They are coming off a deep NCAA Tournament run in which they won three games and are projected to be just as good this season. Bama was a top-three team in a tough SEC last season and is looking to build off that success. UNLV will likely be heavy underdogs in this game and are more likely to get blown out than win it.