Syracuse Basketball: Brutal slate in Vegas, adds a game, will get at least $1 million

This November, Syracuse basketball will travel to the Sin City, play four games and go home with at least $1 million.

Fun.

I first reported in May of last year that the Orange was slated to play in the 2025 version of the Players Era Festival, a name, image and likeness-driven event that would pay out at least $1 million to every participant, and the ultimate winning team also landing an extra $1 million.

The 18-team field for the 2025 Players Era Festival, which will be held in late November in Las Vegas, is stacked. Besides the 'Cuse, per an article on Tuesday from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, it includes returnees Alabama, Creighton, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers and San Diego State.

New schools to the event in 2025 are Syracuse basketball, Maryland, Auburn, Baylor, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, St. John's, Tennessee and UNLV.

Syracuse basketball will face tough non-conference foes in the Sin City.

We know two match-ups for the Orange in this event, per Norlander:
Monday, Nov. 24, versus Houston at 6 pm
Tuesday, Nov. 25, versus Kansas at 3:30 pm

Houston, which reached the national championship game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, is No. 2 overall in preseason rankings from CBS Sports. Kansas, which won the national title in 2022, is No. 18.

Syracuse basketball will have a third game at the Players Era Festival on Wednesday, Nov. 26, but that opponent won't be known until we see how the 'Cuse fares in its first two contests, as well as results from other participants.

But wait. There's more. From Norlander: "Saint Joseph's, which was previously scheduled to participate in Players Era, will instead travel to Vegas to play two games in a three-team showcase event on Nov. 20 and 22 at the Thomas & Mack Center, according to sources, and its games will also have NIL money attached. The Hawks will face UNLV and Syracuse. Saint Joseph's was bumped out after UNLV was added, leaving one extra team."

I'll be curious how much additional NIL dollars, if any, Syracuse basketball will receive from playing Saint Joseph's in this separate Las Vegas event on UNLV's campus.

The 'Cuse will have 13 non-conference games in the upcoming 2025-26 season. Here's what we know so far:
•Houston, Kansas, Saint Joseph's and one opponent TBD in Las Vegas
•Games at the JMA Wireless Dome versus Binghamton, Mercyhurst and Tennessee (ACC/SEC Challenge)
•Neutral-site affair versus Drexel in Philadelphia

That's eight encounters, with five still to be determined.