Men’s Basketball to Face Alabama at Players Era Festival

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Men's Basketball program will meet Alabama during the first day of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Thanksgiving week.

Launched by EverWonder Studio, the Players Era Festival also includes Creighton, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State and Texas A&M. It will be a week-long celebration of college basketball, featuring elite teams, student-athletes and coaches, and creative and groundbreaking NIL activities surrounding the games.

In its inaugural season, the tournament is aimed at captivating fans and provide student-athlete with opportunities to engage in unique name, image and likeness activities. Each participating team will engage in more than $1 million in NIL opportunities with Players Era sponsors outside of competition.

The full 2024 Festival games schedule and broadcast information will be announced later this summer. In addition to the Cougars and Crimson Tide, first-day matchups include Rutgers taking on Notre Dame, Creighton facing Oregon, and Texas A&M against San Diego State.

"This is an opportunity for us to play against some of the best teams in the country early in the season. The Players Era Festival has great teams, great coaches and great players, and we appreciate the chance to compete in its first year. It will be a great way for our program to test itself," said Kelvin Sampson, who begins his second decade with the Cougars in 2024-25.

The Players Era Festival will feature live music events, financial planning educational programming for participating student-athletes, with a charitable partner to be announced at a later date.

In addition to the NIL opportunities available surrounding the festival, all scholarship student-athletes who participate in Players Era events will have an opportunity to engage in other NIL activities in return for shares of an equity stake in the entity itself. The first-of-its-kind direct alignment between athletes and owner operators will allow players to further capitalize on their overall NIL opportunities.

PLAYERS ERA FESTIVAL FIRST-DAY MATCHUPS
Houston vs. Alabama
Rutgers vs. Notre Dame
Creighton vs., Oregon
Texas A&M vs. San Diego State

SERIES vs. ALABAMA
This marks the third meeting against Alabama in the last four years. After six games, the series against the Crimson Tide is tied at 3-3.

It also will be the fifth meeting against Alabama at a neutral site. In the most recent showdown on a neutral court, Houston claimed an 83-75 win at the Sun Carnival Tournament in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 29, 1979.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Men's Basketball by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the 50-50 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Men's Basketball for needs beyond its operating budget.

Fans who join the 50-50 Club will receive embroidered Jordan Brand team apparel, invitations to exclusive events, regular updates about the program and much more.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarMBK on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarMBK or by visiting the team's Instagram page at UHCougarMBK.

– UHCougars.com –

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