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The format of the Players Era Festival is so goofy that trying to predict which two teams will participate in Wednesday’s championship is mostly a pointless exercise. It could literally be determined by how many points a team allows in a game, never mind that all games aren’t even the same amount of time.
Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my Thanksgiving-week tournaments to have a proper bracket. This is silly. Regardless, the 18-team event based in Las Vegas has created some interesting non-league matchups, and the best one on Tuesday is a contest between Houston and Tennessee, two schools that met in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Both remain undefeated after victories on Monday — Houston’s over Syracuse, Tennessee’s over Rutgers. The Cougars remain No. 3 in Tuesday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Vols are No. 21.
College basketball picks, schedule: Predictions for Tennessee vs. Houston, all Players Era games Tuesday
Kyle Boone
In a testament to the absurdity of the Players Era format, Houston, the highest-ranked team in the event, according to the Top 25 And 1, could back its win on Monday with another on Tuesday and still be omitted from Wednesday’s title game because of point-differential. The Cougars only beat Syracuse 78-74 in OT on Monday. So, even if they beat Tennessee convincingly Tuesday, it likely won’t be enough.
Houston-Tennessee tips at 6 p.m. ET on TNT.
The only other game scheduled for Tuesday between two teams in the Top 25 And 1 is Michigan-Auburn. The Wolverines are No. 7 in the Top 25 And 1 after Monday’s 94-54 win over San Diego State. The Tigers are No. 22 after Monday’s 84-73 win over Oregon. Michigan-Auburn tips at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
Top 25 And 1 rankings