Players Era Festival 2025 Recap

Last year, eight college basketball teams played a Feast Week tournament, college basketball’s nickname for the week of Thanksgiving, in Las Vegas called the Players Era Festival.

The tournament was so successful that not only has it gained the perception as the most important tournament of Feast Week, but this year expanded to 18 teams playing across four days.

Here is how each of those 18 teams fared. Teams will be in the order they finished the final standings in, and all rankings are from the AP Poll on Nov. 24, 2025.

No. 7 Michigan

The Wolverines won the 2025 Players Era Festival and did so in dominating fashion. Michigan outscored its opponents 397-177, with two of those wins coming against No. 21 Auburn and previously unbeaten No. 12 Gonzaga in the championship game by 40 points.

Yaxel Lendeborg averaged 17 points per game across the three games and was named tournament MVP.

No. 15 Iowa State

It was an undefeated week for the Cyclones, but they missed out on the championship game because of point differential. They opened tournament play with an 83-82 victory over No. 14 St. John’s, where junior forward Milan Momcilovic scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 1:59 remaining to give the Cyclones the lead.

Iowa State dominated in a 78-60 win vs Creighton and a 95-64 win against Syracuse. Killyan Toure scored 20 and 19 points in those respective games.

Kansas

The only other unbeaten team in tournament play was Kansas, which scored wins over Notre Dame, Syracuse and No. 17 Tennessee. The Jayhawks dominated on the boards thanks to their big-man tandem of Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller, who averaged a combined 18 rebounds per game.

No. 12 Gonzaga

The Bulldogs started strong with a 95-85 win over No. 8 Alabama and a 100-61 win over Maryland, but were outmatched in the championship game vs the Wolverines. Braden Huff was the most consistent player for Gonzaga, as he was the only player to score double-digit points in all three games.

No. 8 Alabama

After losing the opening game to No. 12 Gonzaga, the Crimson Tide manhandled UNLV and Maryland by scores of 115-76 and 105-72, respectively.

Labaron Philon played incredibly with a 29-point performance vs the Bulldogs and dropped 20 on Maryland. Aden Holloway also balled out with 26 points against UNLV and recorded a double-double against the Terrapins.

No. 17 Tennessee

The Volunteers scored the biggest win of the tournament when they beat No. 3 Houston 76-73. Maryland transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie dropped 22 points against the Cougars. Tennessee then shockingly lost to unranked Kansas 81-76 and ended the tournament with a 2-1 record.

No. 3 Houston

It was a rough showing for the Cougars as they needed overtime to beat Syracuse in their first game and then dropped their second game against No. 17 Tennessee. They ended the tournament 2-1 with a 66-56 win against Notre Dame.

Baylor

The Bears went 2-1, winning the games they were expected to against Creighton and San Diego State and losing to No. 14 St. John’s. The loss to the Red Storm marked the first defeat the Bears have suffered this season.

No. 21 Auburn

It was a 2-1 week for the Tigers, bookended with double-digit wins against Oregon and No. 14 St. John’s. Auburn also gave No. 7 Michigan its closest game of the tournament, which it still lost by 30.

No. 14 St. John’s

St. John’s looked pedestrian in its three tournament games, losing a heartbreaker 83-82 to No. 14 Iowa State. The Red Storm handled Baylor 96-81 but then looked flat in an 85-74 loss to No. 21 Auburn.

Creighton

Creighton was able to salvage a disappointing tournament performance with a 76-66 win over Oregon on Thanksgiving Day. The Blue Jays hung tough with an undefeated Baylor team, but still los,t and the game against No. 15 Iowa State was over by halftime.

Notre Dame

The Irish showed the progress the team has made in year three of the Micah Shrewsberry era with 10-point losses to Kansas and No. 3 Houston. Notre Dame beat Rutgers 68-63, where guard Markus Burton dropped 21 points.

Rutgers

The Scarlet Knights salvaged the week with an 80-65 win vs UNLV thanks to a 21-point performance from center Emmanuel Ogbole. Rutgers lost its opening game 85-60 to No. 20 Tennessee and the aforementioned 68-63 game to Notre Dame.

San Diego State

It was a roller coaster of a tournament for the Aztecs, who opened play with a 94-54 loss to No. 7 Michigan. The next game was a 97-80 demolition of Oregon, followed up by a 10-point loss to Baylor.

Maryland

Maryland started well with a 7-point win vs UNLV, but then ran into back-to-back buzzsaws. They gave up 100 points or more in both losses to No. 12 Gonzaga and No. 8 Alabama.

Syracuse

Syracuse had a lot of positives despite going 0-3, including taking No. 3 Houston to overtime. The Orange had a chance to win that game but lost in part because of missed free throws. The other two losses were to Kansas by 11 and a blowout against No. 15 Iowa State.

Oregon

This tournament was a disaster for Oregon, which won the Players' Era Festival last year. They lost all three games by double digits, and two of those losses were to unranked Creighton and San Diego State.

UNLV

The Rebels played the role Chaminade usually plays at the Maui Invitational in that they hosted the tournament and were overmatched in every game. The 15-point loss to a Rutgers squad that might finish last in the Big 10 epitomises the struggles the Rebels faced all tournament long.

Nate Johns is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jzn5275@psu.edu.