No. 3 Houston (6-0) takes on No. 17 Tennessee (6-0) in Tuesday night’s Player’s Era Championship in Las Vegas. It’s a familiar matchup with recent history, as these two met in last year’s Elite Eight, with Houston getting a convincing 69-50 win over the Volunteers to help the Cougars reach the Final Four.
Both teams come into Tuesday’s contest perfect on the season. Tennessee has looked every bit the part of a top 25 team, having won every game by double digits this season. The Vols are coming off an 85-60 rout over Rutgers on Monday afternoon. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 32 points in the win and was 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Nate Ament added 20 points on the night. He also scored nine points in the span of 55 seconds for the Vols. J.P. Estrella and Felix Okpara also added 10 points in the win.
Houston had a much tougher matchup in their first game of the Player’s Era Championship, getting a 78-74 win over Syracuse in overtime. The Cougars had only two players in double digits. Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp each scored 26 points. For Uzan, the 26 points was a career high, and he also hauled in seven rebounds in his return to his hometown.
Sharp was near perfect at the free throw line, going 11-of-12, and Uzan were instrumental in the win on Monday, combining to score all 11 points in overtime. This should be a good defensive matchup between two top 25 teams and a battle that could come down to the final minutes and another exciting finish in Vegas.
Tip: Tuesday 6 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
STREAM: HBO Max