{"id":11536416,"date":"2025-07-01T14:38:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T18:38:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11536416"},"modified":"2025-07-01T18:20:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T22:20:55","slug":"maryland-mens-basketball-gonzaga-unlv-players-era-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/01\/maryland-mens-basketball-gonzaga-unlv-players-era-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland men\u2019s basketball could win millions of NIL money at 18-team event"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former Maryland men\u2019s basketball coach Kevin Willard was often hounded for constructing nonconference schedules that lacked marquee opponents. In Buzz Williams\u2019 first year at the helm, the Terps\u2019 November slate will look a lot different.<\/p>\n

Maryland is set to play Gonzaga and UNLV in the Player\u2019s Era Festival, an 18-team event held in Las Vegas from Nov. 24-26 that pays out millions of dollars in name, image and likeness money to the champion, the school announced Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The Terps will battle UNLV to open the tournament at midnight (ET) on Nov. 24, then face Gonzaga the next day at 9:30 p.m. If Maryland wins both games, it will be eligible for the championship or third-place game on Nov. 26, which is decided by tiebreakers such as point differential and total points scored if multiple teams are unbeaten through the first two days. <\/p>\n

This is the second iteration of the Player\u2019s Era Festival, which Oregon won last season. Last year\u2019s event featured eight teams and awarded $9 million in NIL funds to the Ducks. This season\u2019s tournament added 10 teams and, according to CBS, will shell out more than $20 million in NIL money \u2014 every team that participates gets $1 million, with additional funds going to the winner.<\/p>\n

Seven of last year\u2019s teams \u2014 Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers and San Diego State \u2014 are participating again. Texas A&M is the lone exception after Williams departed and will now bring his new team to the event. Auburn, Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, St. John’s, Syracuse, Tennessee and UNLV are the other additions for 2025.<\/p>\n

The concept of payouts like these is growing more normal by the year. The House v. NCAA settlement, which ended three antitrust lawsuits that claimed the organization prevented athletes from their full earning potential, paved the way for revenue sharing to begin this month. Starting Tuesday, all NCAA Division I schools can directly pay athletes up to $20.5 million. It will be up to the schools to decide how to divide that amount across teams and rosters. Maryland said last month that most of the $20.5 million will go to Williams\u2019 men\u2019s basketball team, football and women\u2019s basketball.<\/p>\n

Maryland\u2019s nonconference schedule was largely forgettable during Willard\u2019s tenure. The Terps played two out-of-conference opponents ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll during the former coach\u2019s first season in College Park in 2022, then just one such opponent each of his final two seasons.<\/p>\n

Maryland went 0-4 in those contests. According to KenPom, the Terps had the sixth-worst nonconference strength of schedule in Division I last season.<\/p>\n

Several anticipated matchups headline Williams\u2019 first nonconference schedule in addition to the Player\u2019s Era Festival. Maryland will face Georgetown in the Terps\u2019 home opener as the first game of a four-year series<\/a>, then travel to Marquette on Nov. 15 and Virginia on Dec. 20. Maryland will also face Coppin State in Baltimore\u2019s CFG Bank Arena<\/a> on Nov. 3.<\/p>\n

Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com<\/a>, 410-332-6200 and x.com\/TaylorJLyons<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n