Rebels set to play in new ‘top of the top’ college basketball event

What’s better than a trip to Hawaii in November?

The answer, for many college basketball programs in a new era of revenue sharing and NIL money, is an appearance in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.

“The Maui Invitational, previously, was the tournament to be in,” UNLV coach Josh Pastner said before a film session Saturday at the team’s practice facility. “It was kind of the top of the top, but now it has become the Players Era that is the top of the top. Even though there are 18 teams, it feels like it’s a Sweet 16 all in one location.

“It’s great that we’re in it.”

The Rebels (3-2) will put their two-game winning streak on the line in the prestigious event with a pair of marquee matchups at MGM Grand Garden Arena, starting with a 9 p.m. game against Maryland (4-1) on Monday.

UNLV is also scheduled to play No. 11 Alabama (3-1) at 9 p.m. Tuesday.

“We believe we can fight with these teams, so we’re going to come out and show something,” forward Tyrin Jones said. “Getting the opportunity is great, but we’re going to come fight.”

A third game will be determined by the results of the first two days, but it’s likely the Rebels will play Thursday morning at Michelob Ultra Arena unless they go 2-0 and win by decent margins.

While the final opponent is unknown, there are no cupcakes in the bracket.

Only getting bigger

The Players Era expands from eight teams to 18 this season and the field is even stronger with half the field ranked in the Top 25 and all but UNLV, San Diego State and Gonzaga from major conferences. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. until close to midnight on Monday and Tuesday and includes a third-place game and championship on Wednesday night at MGM Grand, hopes to grow again to 32 teams next season and is only expected to attract even better programs.

The reason is simple. Not only does it give power schools more certainty on their schedules over the first two days than more traditional bracketed events, but the format guarantees every team at least $1 million.

That’s huge at a time when programs all over the country are trying to find new revenue streams wherever they can to grow their financial power to bring in and retain players who can now be paid.

Game is changing

“Obviously, financially, it just is what it is in this day and age,” Pastner said. “You have to find ways to think outside the box to generate money to be able to pay the guys. Ten years ago, we wouldn’t be talking about this. If I said that, I’d probably be arrested by the NCAA. But now, you have to be involved in things and find ways to raise money to be able to increase your budget in order to continue to compete at the level you want to compete at.

“You still need to be able to evaluate and build chemistry and be healthy and those things still go into it. Just going out and getting a bunch of good players with a bunch of money isn’t a guarantee you’re going to win. There are other factors, but that’s the name of the game right now. You have to be able to find ways to generate NIL revenue.”

For UNLV, it’s also a chance to get challenging games as they try to develop a team with 13 new players under a new coach.

“We need to be in these types of events if we want to continue to grow and build the program we’re trying to build,” Pastner said. “It’s great competition and a great opportunity for us. These types of games will help us as we continue to try to get better.”

It’s also another chance to show that Las Vegas is a hotbed for basketball, which can only help Pastner’s effort to build the program he wants.

Basketball capital

He calls the city the “epicenter and capital of the basketball world” and that will certainly be the case this week with the eyes of the college basketball world descending on two arenas on the Strip for “Feast Week” in what is traditionally known for early season showcases for the sport.

And the Rebels will be part of it.

Pastner said he expects his team to be an underdog in each of the three games and then again when they play at Stanford on Dec. 7.

His group has lost twice already when favored and went on the road to pull a big upset at Memphis.

“I assume the next four games we will be underdogs, and that’s OK,” he said. “Just like we don’t have any margin of error no matter who we play, those teams are going to have to play well to beat us.

“This is who is on our schedule and we have to compete. I think our team is really good. I think we’re a good basketball team, especially when we have our full complement of guys, but there’s no denying this is a challenging stretch.”

UNLV expects to be better for it, both competitively and financially.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.