Maryland men's basketball draws SEC foe in opening round of 2026 Players Era Tournament

Ahmed Ghafir
3 minutes ago
2 min read

The next domino in Maryland men's basketball's 2026-27 schedule has dropped after the Player's Era 1Tournament released the bracket for the 16-team field.

Maryland will open against Tennessee on Nov. 24, marking the sixth all-time meeting and first between the two teams since Dec. 11, 2022 when the Vols won, 56-53, at the Barclays Center. Also featuring the two teams who saw Ja'Kobi Gillespie shine at the point, the meeting also marks a return matchup for Bishop Boswell, who transferred from Tennessee to Maryland this offseason.

The draw also marks another projected preseason top-25 team on Maryland's schedule after adding a team littered with portal talent as head coach Rick Barnes is projected to start a fresh starting five with VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr., Cal guard Dai Dai Ames, Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade and Notre Dame forward Jalen Haralson leading the way.

The winner between Maryland and Tennessee will face the winner of Iowa State vs. San Diego State. St. John's vs. Oregon and Louisville vs. Texas Tech round out the first bracket.

The opening round of the second bracket features Gonzaga vs. Kansas State, Baylor vs. Alabama, Michigan vs. Creighton and Miami vs. TCU.

Maryland will also host Virginia on Friday, Nov. 13 and travel to face Georgetown, though a date has yet to be announced.

In Big Ten play, Maryland will host Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin. Maryland will also travel to face Iowa, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Washington. The Big Tena also announced that Maryland's three home-and-away opponents are Indiana, Michigan State and Rutgers.

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