How to watch: Alabama basketball at the Players Era Festival

Alabama Basketball will open the first-ever edition of the Players Era Festival tournament on Monday against No. 6 Houston. The no. 9 Crimson Tide will be joined by seven other teams at the NIL-controlled showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada this week.

Not only does the Players Era Festival provide the opportunity to play against multiple top opponents – an opportunity Alabama coach Nate Oats will never pass up – but it also provides participating teams with NIL and financial education opportunities. According to the tournament’s website, players are promised $9 million to participate in non-tournament activities. Speaking to reporters from Las Vegas on Monday, Oats said his players were already busy taking advantage of the opportunities

“I think it’s good,” Oats said. “I think there are ways to help these players make some money with their name, their image and their likeness, and I think the tournament organizers here have stepped up in that area and done a really good job, all the players, to promote those who are here and to help them gain some recognition, to benefit them and to be financially able to compensate them for it.”

As Alabama’s players enjoy the tournament’s opportunities off the field, they will be tested there. The Tide will face two Power Five opponents in Houston and Rutgers over the next two days. Alabama will then play a third game against a yet-to-be-determined opponent based on the results of its first two games.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Players Era Festival, Alabama’s opponents and how to watch the Tide in action in Las Vegas this week.

The eight participating teams are divided into two groups of four. Alabama’s group also includes Houston, Notre Dame and Rutgers, while No. 21 Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State and No. 20 Texas A&M make up the other group of four.

Each team plays two games – one Tuesday and one Wednesday – in a partial round-robin format. Both groups are then seeded based on the teams’ two-game results and play on a championship schedule on Saturday against a team with the same seed from the other group. The tiebreakers for seeding based on the head-to-head record are the total points difference between both games played in the group, with a cap of plus or minus 20 per game, the total points scored and the total points allowed.

WHO: No. 9 Alabama (4-1) vs. No. 6 Houston (3-1)

When: 7 p.m. CT, Tuesday, November 26th

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Regard: TBS (Play-By-Play: Brian Anderson, Analyst: Grant Hill, Sideline: Allie LaForce)

Hear: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (Play-by-Play: Roger Hoover, Analyst: Bryan Passink)

The Tide and Cougars have produced two classics in recent seasons by facing each other in 2022 and 2021, with Alabama coming out on top in both matchups. Tuesday night’s game will be a top-10 matchup as the Cougars travel to Las Vegas as the No. 6 team in the nation and the top-ranked team on KenPom.

Houston boasts a tenacious defense that ranks KenPom No. 2 in the country. Aside from the 74-69 loss to Auburn, Houston has not allowed a team to score more than 45 points in a game so far this season. The Cougars also rank 348th in adjusted tempo, contrasting their slow and physical style with Alabama’s fast system.

“We have to run when we can,” Oats said. “The biggest issue is can we get a defensive rebound? They send everyone to the attack surface. So when we get defensive rebounds, we can counter them. As much as we can, we will try to avoid misses and makes. Our defense has to be great, our defensive rebounding has to be great, and then we just have to take care of the ball on offense.”

Offensively, Houston is led by guards Emanuel Sharp and LJ Cryer. Sharp is averaging 11.8 points per game while shooting 73.3% from 3-point range on just under four attempts per game. Cryer is one of the best veteran guards in college basketball. He is in his second season with Houston after spending three years at Baylor.

Houston also features forward J’Wan Roberts, who played against Alabama in 2022. Roberts is averaging 10.3 points and ranks second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. Houston guards Terrance Arceneaux (9.5 ppg) and Ramon Walker Jr. (3.8 ppg) and forward Ja’Vier Francis (5.7 ppg) were also with Houston in the Tide’s 71-65 win two seasons ago in use. Oats praised Houston’s coach Kelvin Sampson for his leadership of the program and Alabama will have to be at its best, particularly in how it establishes a rhythm on offense, to get a record-boosting win on Tuesday.

“I think if you attack Houston the right way, the ball moves,” Oats said. “You can’t be selfish and beat these guys, they’re going to put two on the ball and take your best guards out of the game by blitzing them. The ball has to move. When the ball moves, multiple players usually score because different players are found. If you play the way you need to play to beat those guys, the ball is going to move and you’re going to have several guys shooting the ball pretty well.”

WHO: No. 9 Alabama (4-1) vs. Rutgers (4-1)

When: 9 p.m. CT, Wednesday, November 27th

Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

Regard: TBS

Hear: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (Play-by-Play: Roger Hoover, Analyst: Bryan Passink)

Alabama’s game against Rutgers on Wednesday will likely be watched by NBA scouts across the league. Both teams have potential first-round picks on their roster and finished in the top three of Rivals’ recruiting team rankings for the Class of 2024.

Rutgers is limping into the tournament after being knocked out of the top 25 following a road loss to Kennesaw State on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights were shocked by an Owls team led by a former Alabama assistant Antoine Pettway. Oats praised his former colleague as he looked ahead to his own team’s game with Rutgers.

“Super happy for Pettway,” Oats said. “He got a signature win. I think the first win in Kennesaw history over a top 25 team. So congratulations to Antoine, his staff and his players. I hope they didn’t wake up the sleeping bear, if you will, with Rutgers because they are a super talented team. I’m sure they were woken up a little.”

While Alabama looks to double down on Rutgers’ woes, the Tide must contend with two of college basketball’s best freshmen. Rutgers is led by guards Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey. The two were both among the top three players in the 2024 class and averaged over 19 points per game to start the season. In ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft, both players were selected in the top five of this summer’s draft.

The talent of Harper and Bailey makes Wednesday night’s game a potential glimpse into the future of the NBA, as Alabama has its own roster of elite rookies. The Tide also has two former five-star recruits in Derrion Reid and Aiden Sherrell, while Labaron Philon has been one of college basketball’s breakout newcomers this season, averaging 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists has also started to hit NBA draft boards.

The Tide will face Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State or Texas A&M on Saturday. Alabama’s third opponent on Championship Day will depend on its results from the two games. If the Tide finishes at the top of their group, they will face the winner of the other group. If it comes second, it will face the runner-up from the other group in the third-place game, and so on.

Here is the full Championship Day schedule (all games Saturday):

7th Place Game – 12pm CST on TruTV

5th Place Game – 2:30pm CST on TruTV

3rd Place Game – 6:00 PM CST on TNT

Championship – 8:30 p.m. CST on TNT

The Players Era Festival was granted a waiver by the NCAA to allow a possible game between two conference opponents that would not count toward their conference record. This means that Alabama could potentially take a look at Texas A&M outside of the conference if the two teams meet. The Crimson Tide defeated the Aggies 100-75 in SEC play last season. Texas A&M is off to a 4-1 start to the 2024-25 season.

Alabama could also face Creighton, which would also serve as the basis for an already scheduled matchup as the two teams will face off in Tuscaloosa just 15 days later on December 14th. Creighton enters the tournament 4-1 and suffered a loss to Nebraska in its last game.

The Tide could also have a chance at a revenge game against San Diego State. The Aztecs ended Alabama’s NCAA Tournament run as the No. 1 overall seed in 2023 with a 71-64 victory in the Sweet 16. This game is the only time the two teams have met. San Diego State is 2-1, with its only loss coming against No. 3 Gonzaga.

Alabama last played against Oregon in the Emerald Coast Classic last season. The Tide won 99-91 against the Ducks and have a 2-3 record against Oregon all-time. Oregon enters the Players Era Festival with an unblemished 5-0 record.