Report: Maryland men's basketball to return to Players Era Festival in 2026

Ahmed Ghafir
Sep 10
2 min read

Maryland men’s basketball has already announced it will be one of 18 teams set to participate in the 2025 Players Era Festival with the schedule already set, marking the first time in nearly 20 years the program has faced either team. But it isn’t expected to be Maryland’s final appearance in the ever-growing non-conference MTE with longtime buzz that they’ll return to the field in 2026, and it appears that will come to fruition.

Jon Rothstein noted that Maryland was one of two teams expected to suit up in the 2026 Maui Invitational, but instead “opted for the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.”

While the 2025 Players Era Festival boosts an already strong non-conference schedule for Maryland in year one of the Buzz Williams era, the 2026 tournament could prove to be more beneficial with a 32-team tournament in November confirmed this summer. A Yahoo report noted each participant will receive $1 million in NIL funding in a tournament spanning “multiple weeks in the first month of the 2026-27 season, featuring a group stage in multiple cities before shifting to a “four-bracket concept” in Las Vegas, per CBS Sports.

The 2025 tournament champion is also set to receive at least a $1 million in NIL with Tennessee, Kansas, St. John’s, Houston, Auburn, Alabama and Michigan joining Maryland among the participants.

Maryland’s entry into the Players Era Festival materialized once Buzz Williams was announced as the program’s newest head coach, helping the Terps replace Texas A&M as a participant in year two of the non-conference tournament.

Maryland will kick off its appearance against UNLV on Nov. 24 before facing Gonzaga at 9:30 PM the following day. Matchups for the third game are based on results of games one and two with the tournament set to close out on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27.

Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are now on sale starting as low as $199. Fans can purchase tickets at www.UMTerps.com, by calling the XFINITY Center Ticket Office (301-314-7060), or visiting the Ticket Office on Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 4 PM.

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