Gonzaga reportedly joins Houston, Alabama, and others in the loaded 2025 Players Era Festival field

Gonzaga will be busy at Battle 4 Atlantis when the inaugural Players Era Festival kicks off in Las Vegas in November, but Mark Few’s program would be one of eight others joining a loaded field in 2025, according to multiple reports Wednesday morning.

The new season tournament held during Thanksgiving week is expected to distribute at least $1 million to participating teams in name, image and likeness opportunities outside of competition.

With the eight teams expected to play in this year’s field – Houston, Alabama, Rutgers, Notre Dame, San Diego State, Texas A&M, Oregon and Creighton – the Zags would join an expanded field in 2025, alongside Michigan, Syracuse, St. John’s and Saint Joe’s.

The tournament is also targeting Duke, Kansas and Virginia as potential options to complete the 16-team bracket in 2025.

The first-round matchups for the inaugural Players Era Festival in November were leaked this morning, pitting Houston at Alabama, Rutgers at Notre Dame, San Diego State at Texas A&M and Oregon at Creighton.

Gonzaga’s non-conference and postseason schedules regularly take the Bulldogs to Las Vegas. Along with the annual West Coast Conference Tournament, hosted at Orleans Arena, the Zags recently traveled to Vegas for non-conference games against Duke, UCLA and USC, and played Sweet 16/Elite Eight games against UCLA and UConn at T-Mobile Arena during the second weekend of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

It’s unclear whether the Players Era Festival will become a mainstay of Gonzaga’s non-conference schedule. The Bulldogs have made regular appearances at the Maui Invitational since 2002 and will compete in their third Battle 4 Atlantis in November. Gonzaga has also competed twice in the Portland-based Phil Knight Invitational.