Players Era Impact Tournament Schedule Unveiled

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Men's Basketball program will face Alabama, Notre Dame and Rutgers during the Players Era Impact Tournament inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena during Thanksgiving week, tournament organizers announced Tuesday.

The Cougars open the tournament against Alabama at 7 p.m. (CT), Nov. 26 before meeting Notre Dame at 11:30 p.m. (CT) Wednesday with both of those games airing on TBS.

Following a two-day break from competition, the Cougars close their stay at the tournament when they face Rutgers at 2:30 p.m. (CT) in a game airing on truTV.

Players Era Festival is the inaugural event for the groundbreaking college basketball showcase and NIL company, Players Era, aimed at captivating fans and providing college athletes with opportunities to engage in unique name, image and likeness (NIL) activities. The 2024 Festival will feature two distinct tournaments and introduce an entirely new structure for early season competition, coinciding with the opportunity for athletes on each participating team to engage in more than $1 million in NIL opportunities outside of competition.

The Players Era Festival will feature at least 18 teams in 2025, adding several preeminent men's basketball programs and with international-style group play and championship matchups.

IMPACT TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Nov. 26

Houston vs. Alabama	7 p.m. (CT)	TBS, Max
Rutgers vs. Notre Dame	9:30 p.m. (CT)	TBS, Max

Wednesday, Nov. 27

Rutgers vs. Alabama	9 p.m. (CT)	TBS, Max
Notre Dame vs. Houston	11:30 p.m. (CT)	TBS, Max

Saturday, Nov. 30

Alabama vs. Notre Dame	Noon (CT)	truTV, Max
Rutgers vs. Houston	2:30 p.m. (CT)	truTV, Max

FESTIVAL FORMAT and SCHEDULE
The 2024 Festival will showcase eight top ranked teams competing in two separate four-team tournaments, playing a round-robin format across three days of competition, where every minute of competition matters. The Impact Tournament will feature Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame and Rutgers while the Power Tournament will include Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State and Texas A&M.

In the event teams finish with the same record within each distinct Tournament, tie breakers will be used to determine final standings, including head-to-head record, total point differential, points scored, points allowed and, lastly, pre-Tournament NET ranking.

In addition to the $1 million in NIL opportunities per team during ancillary events (e.g., autograph sessions, community and charity service, etc.), at the completion of each Tournament in ancillary events, players will have the opportunity to directly engage in an additional $500,000 of NCAA approved on call NIL activities recognizing their increased value in the market.

ABOUT PLAYERS ERA
Players Era was created to provide NCAA sanctioned NIL opportunities for college basketball players and to expand the fandom and reach of the game itself.

The Inaugural Players Era Festival will be a week-long celebration of college basketball, featuring elite teams, players and coaches, and creative and groundbreaking NIL activities surrounding the games. The festival will introduce an entirely new structure for early-season tournaments, where every second of every game will matter, in an intensely competitive atmosphere. Beyond the competition on the court, Players Era Festival will feature financial planning and educational programming for participating student-athletes, with a charitable partner to be announced at a later date.

While the debut event for Players Era will be the 2024 tournament in Las Vegas, the broader initiative will expand to add future events with the goal of continuing to grow the game of college basketball and create a year-round focus on the sport. This will include additional content opportunities, including women's basketball tournaments, offseason events, nonfiction content and merchandising opportunities.

SERIES HISTORIES
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.

vs. Notre Dame – The series against Notre Dame is tied at 4-4.

This will be the first time the Cougars have faced the Fighting Irish on the hardwood since a 93-82 win inside Hofheinz Pavilion on Feb. 10, 1990. That win snapped a two-game losing streak against Notre Dame.

The series first began with a 110-80 Notre Dame win in Houston on Jan. 9, 1965.

vs. Rutgers – Houston owns a 3-1 lead against Rutgers in the series, which began with a 95-84 Cougar victory at the All-College Tournament in Oklahoma City on Dec. 29, 1973.

In the most recent meeting, the Cougars enjoyed a 63-60 win on Unity Court to advance to the program's sixth NCAA Tournament Final Four inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on March 21, 2021.

The Scarlet Knights' lone win was a 93-70 win in Piscataway, N.J., on Feb. 1, 2014.

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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