Prospects, Payouts, and Prime Matchups: Welcome to the Players Era Festival
No Darryn Peterson, no problem—Vegas still becomes the epicenter of college hoops and draft scouting.
Feast Week’s Big Stage Arrives as NBA Scouts Evaluate Who’s Real
Feast Week is always one of the best stretches on the college basketball calendar. It’s when the preseason fluff finally gets stripped away and teams trade in overmatched opponents for real, high-level competition. For NBA scouts, this is the moment to start separating the early-season stat padders from the legitimate breakout prospects, because now the games actually mean something.
As always, tournaments are happening all over the country across Thanksgiving week… but this year, everything funnels into one spotlight. All eyes are locked on the Players Era Festival.
The Players Era Festival
The Players Era Festival is the centerpiece of Feast Week and a clear sign of where college hoops is headed in the NIL era. Hosted in Las Vegas, the event is structured to ensure every program walks away with at least $1 million in NIL support—money directly tied to Name, Image and Likeness opportunities.
What really separates the Players Era Festival from traditional tournaments is its format. There’s no classic bracket. Instead, 18 teams compete across two pods on Monday and Tuesday, with the championship matchup on Wednesday determined not just by wins and losses but also point differential, total points scored, and even AP poll rankings if necessary.
Pool play on Nov. 24–25 sets the stage for the championship games on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Each school is reportedly guaranteed $1 million simply for showing up, with another $1 million dished out based on performance.
Welcome to the new age of college basketball.
No Darryn Peterson
Kansas will be without its star freshman Darryn Peterson, who’s sidelined for the Festival with a hamstring strain.
His absence is a major blow, not just for Kansas, but for NBA scouts and draft diehards. Peterson, arguably the top prospect in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class, hasn’t played since the showdown with North Carolina.
In his first two games, Peterson averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists, reinforcing the belief that he’s the most complete guard prospect to enter college basketball in years.
Teams & Prospects to Watch
Even without Peterson, the Players Era Festival still features elite programs and marquee NBA prospects. Alabama, Baylor, Michigan, and Houston headline a deep field loaded with potential first-rounders.
Here’s the full list of teams and top prospects competing in the 2025 Players Era Festival:
Alabama – Labaron Philon, Aden Holloway, Taylor Bol Bowen
Auburn – Tahaad Pettiford, Elyjah Freeman, Keyshawn Hall
Baylor – Cameron Carr, Tounde Yessoufou
Creighton – Blake Harper
Gonzaga – Tyon Grant-Foster, Graham Ike
Houston – Kingston Flemings, Chris Cenac
Iowa State – Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic
Kansas – Flory Bidunga, Tre White
Maryland –
Michigan – Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara
Notre Dame – Markus Burton, Jalen Haralson
Oregon – Nate Bittle, Jackson Shelstad
Rutgers –
San Diego State – Miles Byrd, Magoon Gwath
St. John’s – Bryce Hopkins, Zuby Ejiofor, Ian Jackson
Syracuse – Donnie Freeman, Kiyan Anthony
UNLV –
Tennessee – Nate Ament
Schedule
Monday, Nov. 24 (All times Eastern)
No. 17 Tennessee vs. Rutgers | 1 p.m. | TNT
Baylor vs. Creighton | 2 p.m. | truTV
No. 23 Kansas vs. Notre Dame | 3:30 p.m. | TNT
No. 16 St. John’s vs. No. 14 Iowa State | 4:30 p.m. | truTV
No. 2 Houston vs. Syracuse | 6 p.m. | TNT
Oregon vs. Auburn | 8 p.m. | truTV
No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 12 Gonzaga | 9:30 p.m. | TNT
No. 6 Michigan vs. San Diego State | 10:30 p.m. | truTV
Maryland vs. UNLV | 11:59 p.m. | TNT
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Rutgers vs. Notre Dame | 1 p.m. | TNT
No. 14 Iowa State vs. Creighton | 2 p.m. | truTV
No. 23 Kansas vs. Syracuse | 3:30 p.m. | TNT
No. 16 St. John’s vs. Baylor | 5 p.m. | truTV
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 17 Tennessee | 6 p.m. | TNT
No. 6 Michigan vs. Auburn | 8:30 p.m. | TNT
No. 12 Gonzaga vs. Maryland | 9:30 p.m. | truTV
Oregon vs. San Diego State | 11 p.m. | TNT
UNLV vs. No. 11 Alabama | 11:59 p.m. | truTV
As the dust settles on Feast Week, the Players Era Festival feels like the perfect stage for separating real NBA talent from early-season noise. With stakes higher than ever and the spotlight brighter than ever, this week is where statements get made.
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