After two off days to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, the Houston men’s basketball team returns to the MGM Grand Garden Saturday to play San Diego State in the third-place game of the 2024 Players Era Festival.
No. 6 Houston (4-2) lost to No. 9 Alabama 85-80 in overtime on Tuesday night before beating Notre Dame 65-54 on Wednesday night. San Diego State (3-2) beat No. 21 Creighton 71-53 in it opener before losing to Oregon 78-68 on Wednesday.
Each team participating in the Players Era Festival, which is being held in Las Vegas, is receiving $1 million in NIL money. The winner of the third-place game between Houston and San Diego State will reportedly receive an additional $150,000.
The Aztecs are led by sophomore guard BJ Davis, who is averaging 15.6 points and has scored 18 in both games in Las Vegas. Senior guard Nick Boyd, a Florida Atlantic transfer, is averaging 13.2 points and shooting 47.6% from downtown.
Senior guard LJ Cryer leads Houston in scoring at 13.5 points per game, but he’s shooting just 31.4% from the 3-point line. Junior guard Emanuel Sharp is averaging 13.0 points and shooting a blistering 53.3% from downtown.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can play better than they’re playing,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said after the Cougars’ loss to Alabama.
Houston enters the game as 12.5-point favorites. Here are details on how to watch and follow Houston’s matchup with San Diego State on Saturday:
Houston vs. San Diego State TV Channel, Live Stream, Betting Odds
Who: No. 6 Houston (4-2) vs. San Diego State (3-2) in the Players Era Festival
When: 6 p.m. CT | Saturday, November 30
Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nevada
Live Stream: Stream Houston-San Diego State live on Max
TV Channel: TNT
Our Prediction: Houston 74, San Diego State 65
Betting Odds: Houston is favored by 12.5 points per FanDuel Sportsbook
Live Updates, Highlights: Follow the game on Houston On SI for live updates and big-play highlights throughout Saturday’s matchup
