Maryland men’s basketball is set to take part in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas as part of the tournament’s rapid expansion. The tournament started in 2024 with a unique premise: $1 million guaranteed
for each team, with more money set to be split among the winners.
Now, the Player’s Era has expanded from eight teams to 18, with reports of a 32-team field floated for next year. With the college basketball landscape shifting in the NIL era, Maryland has put itself in a position to stay on top of the game.
“For sure, this has become at a very fast rate, one that you want to play in, partly for the finances, but partly for the Quad 1-A opportunities involved,” head coach Buzz Williams said.
While premier, brand-name programs from around the country flew in for the tournament, Maryland’s first bout will come against local sleeping giants in UNLV.
The game is set to tip off at 9 p.m. PST Monday (12 a.m. EST Tuesday) and will be available to watch on TNT.
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (3-2, 0-0 Mountain West)
2024-25 record: 18-15, 11-9 Mountain West
When the teams face off, seeing head coach Josh Pastner’s face will feel familiar for Terps fans. For the past two seasons, he did analysis for the ESPN and NBC networks, taking time off after coaching Georgia Tech from 2016-2023.
In Las Vegas, Pastner has been tasked with taking one of the winningest Division I programs back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. Expectations are high: the previous coach was fired after going 76-55 over four seasons.
The Runnin’ Rebels have lived up to their name, frantically moving up and down the court so far this season. According to KenPom, UNLV plays at the 14th-highest tempo in Division I, a strategy that has led to mixed results. A 92-78 win at Memphis was impressive; a 102-93 loss at home to Montana five days before was also impressive, but for all the wrong reasons.
Players to watch
Isaac Williamson, freshman guard, 6-foot-0, No. 12 — Originally committed to playing for New Mexico before the Lobos’ coach left the school, Williamson was a late add for UNLV. Switching Mountain West schools has been a great deal for both parties, though. The combo guard didn’t play in the first two contests but averages a team-high 17 points per game. He’s the Rebels’ best 3-point shooter as well, having converted seven of 15 attempts.
Tyrin Jones, freshman forward, 6-foot-9, No. 6 — Jones, on the other hand, committed to UNLV under the previous regime and stuck around, much to Pastner’s benefit. Jones has been the Rebels’ flashiest presence on the interior. While he typically comes off the bench, his influence has grown as the season has gone on — against Saint Joseph’s on Nov. 20, Jones finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, junior guard, 6-foot-1, No. 0 — Gibbs-Lawhorn joined the Rebels after spending his first two seasons at Illinois, where he made just two starts and averaged 5.9 points per game. Through five games in a much more important role, he has impressed. Gibbs-Lawhorn is averaging 16.2 points and three assists per game while having played the most minutes on the team.
Strength
Scoring. Playing as fast as they do has allowed UNLV to consistently run up the scoreboard. In every game this season, the Rebels have finished with at least 81 points. Their efforts have been sustained throughout the game, too — they have scored 38 points or more in every half.
Weakness
Three-point shooting. Interestingly, UNLV has produced these flashy scorelines while not performing particularly well from behind the arc. Their poor numbers from deep aren’t just symptomatic of high-volume 3-point shooting either: while attempting 22.6 3-pointers per game (222nd-most in Division I), the Rebels convert just 28.3% of them (321st-best in Division I).
Three things to watch
1. Marathon week for Maryland. Because they will likely finish their game around 11 p.m. local time, the Terps will have little turnaround. Twenty-one and a half hours after their first game, Maryland tips off their second, against Gonzaga. If the Terps perform well, they will be rewarded with a game on Wednesday; if they don’t, they could get a Thursday matchup.
“Three games in a row will require a lot from the coaches. It’s also going to require a lot from the players,” Williams said. “I’ve never [had] three games in three days in my career.”
2. Reinforcements on the horizon? While nothing has been made official yet, Myles Rice and Solomon Washington were pictured practicing for Maryland in Las Vegas Sunday. A return for one or both Terps could be incredibly beneficial, but it is unlikely that Williams would rush the pair back, particularly given the team will be playing two games.
3. A matchup for the record books. UNLV and Maryland have met five times in the schools’ history. Their most recent game came in 1986, when the Rebels beat the Terps in the Round of 32. That was the final game for legendary Terps Len Bias and Lefty Driesell.
