Live Updates: No. 17 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Houston in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS — A little less than eight months later, No. 17 Tennessee gets another shot at No. 3 Houston when the two teams meet Tuesday in the Players Era Festival on Tuesday, in a rematch from the Elite Eight last March.

Follow along for all the live updates before, during and after today’s game on The General’s Quarters

The Vols (6-0) and Cougars (6-0) are scheduled for a 6 p.m. Eastern Time start at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, as both teams look to say in the hunt for the Players Era championship.

Houston got the best of Tennessee last March, winning 69-50 in the Elite Eight, advancing to the Final Four where Kelvin Sampson’s team would ultimately fall to Florida in the national championship game.

How to Watch: Tennessee vs. Kansas

When: Tuesday, 6 p.m. Eastern Time | Where: MGM Grand Garden Arena

TV: TNT, HBO Max

Radio: WNML 99.1 FM in Knoxville (John Wilkerson, Steve Hamer). The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.

SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 106 & 190, SXM App

KenPom Prediction: Houston 69, Tennessee 67

BetMGM: Tennessee +3.5 | Total 134.5

‘We know it’s going to be a hard, physical game’

Tennessee’s third game in the 18-team event will be based on six factors set by the Players Era officials.

“It’s a tough three games for everyone out here,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said on Monday. “And just great respect for Kelvin (Sampson). We’ve known each other as long as anybody in business, and great respect for Kelvin and his team. We’ll get back and do everything pretty much in the ballroom, get ready. We know it’s going to be a hard, physical game. We know each other.”

Tennessee is 3-3 all time against Houston. Before the Elite Eight matchup last season, the Vols won in Knoxville in 1995 and in Houston in 1994. Houston won at home in December 1971 and in Los Angeles on Dec. 29, 1970, after Tennessee won the first meeting in Knoxville just over three weeks earlier, on Dec. 5, 1970.

LJ Cryer scored 17 points and Emanuel Sharp had 16 to lead Houston the 69-50 win at Lucas Oil Stadium in the regional final last March. Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey scored 17 points each to lead the Vols, but the Cougars jumped out to a 22-6 lead after the first 12 minutes and Tennessee couldn’t dig out of the early hole.

“I can’t wait,” Tennessee five-star freshman wing Nate Ament said. “Obviously they knocked us out in the Elite Eight last year, so it’s kind of a game you want back. We get that opportunity. I think it’s just another opportunity for us to grow as a team and see what we need to get better at.

“And it’s great competition. You get to play the No. 2 team in the country and just have a lot of fun.”

How Tennessee, Houston performed on Monday

Ament scored 20 points and Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie starred with 32 in a 85-60 drubbing of Rutgers on Monday in the first game in the Players Era Festival.

Houston needed overtime to hold off an upset-minded Syracuse team, winning 78-74.

Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp combined for 52 points of their own in the win, with both players scoring 26. Freshman forward Chris Cenac, who was heavily recruited by Tennessee, had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman Kingston Fleming, who had xx points on Monday, is Houston’s leading scorer this season at 17.4 points per game. He also leads the Cougars in assists at 5.2 per game, while Cenac averages a team-high 7.4 rebounds.

Players Era Festival Tuesday Schedule

Teams	Time	TV
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers	1 p.m. ET	TNT | HBO Max
Iowa State vs. Creighton	2 p.m. ET	truTV | HBO Max
Kansas vs. Syracuse	3:30 p.m. ET	TNT | HBO Max
St. John’s vs. Baylor	4:30 p.m. ET	truTV | HBO Max
Tennessee vs. Houston	6 p.m. ET	TNT | HBO Max
Michigan vs. Auburn	8:30 p.m. ET	TNT | HBO Max
Gonzaga vs. Maryland	9:30 p.m. ET	truTV | HBO Max
Oregon vs. San Diego St.	11 p.m. ET	TNT | HBO Max
UNLV vs. Alabama	12 a.m. ET	truTV | HBO Max

Monday’s Scores: Tennessee 85, Rutgers 60 … Baylor 81, Creighton 74 … Kansas 71, Notre Dame 61 … Iowa State 82, St. John’s 81 … Houston 78, Syracuse 74 … Gonzaga 95, Alabama 85 … Michigan 94, San Diego State 54 … Auburn 84, Oregon 73 … Maryland 74, UNLV 64