With the events conflicting with each other and the money involved with the Players Era Festival, the San Diego tournament officially will not feature the Irish. They, along with Arkansas, reportedly have opted out of their obligation, which involved a $200,000 buyout provision. They have been replaced by Ole Miss and Irish ACC rival NC State. Purdue and BYU will remain part of the invitational.
The writing for this was on the wall the moment the Players Era Festival was announced. No team in the NIL era is going to turn down an opportunity to financially benefit its players. Such is the new reality of college sports.
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The Blue Devils have played in the new Vegas stadium twice. They played UNLV in the arena’s first collegiate basketball game back in 2016, and they played No. 1 Gonzaga there back in 2021.
Duke won both games.
Coach K and his team throttled the Rebels for a 94-45 victory the first time around, 25 years after his iconic upset of UNLV in the 1991 Final Four. Grayson Allen, in one of the first games of his junior season, scored 34 points after he shot 12/16 from the floor. Luke Kennard added 16 points, and a freshman named Jayson Tatum came off the bench for 13 of his own.
In the fall of 2021, during Krzyzewski’s final season at the helm, the Blue Devils handed Gonzaga its first loss of the season. Four Bulldogs scored at least 15 points, including Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren, but 20-point games from Paolo Banchero and Wendell Moore Jr. proved to be enough.
CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander shared a potential five-year plan for annual battles between the Blue Devils and the Jayhawks on Thursday.
The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team will play Kansas in Las Vegas this coming November as part of the Vegas Showdown as announced on Thursday. According to CBS Sports senior writer Matt Norlander, that battle could become a regular rivalry over the next five years.
Norlander shared on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) that he’d heard rumblings of a five-year plan for the Blue Devils and Jayhawks to play in each of the next five seasons.
Norlander said the plan included neutral-site showdowns as a part of the Champions Classic in 2025 and 2028, should the fall event remain on the schedule until then. The report also included a potential home-and-home in 2026 and 2027, with each team traveling to the other’s campus once over those two years.
“Duke and Kansas haven’t officially agreed to play a home-and-home in ’26/27 just yet,” Norlander wrote in a follow-up message. “But the schools have been in talks on it for a long time and I think Jon Scheyer and Bill Self want to make it happen, which means it should.”
We slowly but surely are starting to see the college basketball schedule leak out. We haven’t seen much for Notre Dame except for a tournament in Las Vegas. However, we now know the Irish will be playing a program it hasn’t faced since the year the U.S. entered World War II.
The Grand Forks Herald is reporting that the Irish will welcome North Dakota to Purcell Pavilion on Nov. 19. To find the only other meeting between the teams, you have to go back to Feb. 4, 1941. The Irish won that game, 46-38, at the long-demolished Notre Dame Fieldhouse.
North Dakota athletic director Bill Chaves indicated his appreciation for the Irish and their history:
“I think back to my childhood when Notre Dame was playing UCLA. UCLA had all those amazing teams. (The Fighting Irish) were the ones to break up the 88-game winning streak. It’s kind of a neat thing for history buffs, and certainly it’ll be exciting for this year’s team.”
The Fighting Hawks are coming off an 18-14 season in which they placed second in the Summit League. When the Irish last played a team from that conference in December 2013, they lost, 73-69, to North Dakota State, which went on to upset a ranked Oklahoma team in that season’s NCAA Tournament.
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This November, a new running event is hitting the scene. On November 3, 2024, right as the New York City Marathon begins its 53rd annual race, the Las Vegas Marathon will celebrate its inaugural event. Positioning itself as an exciting alternative for runners unable to participate in the New York City Marathon, this Las Vegas race could be a fun experience and an excellent training opportunity for active travelers and dedicated marathoners alike.
“This incredibly fast course will lead runners on an electrifying journey through some of the most beautiful and iconic areas of the city,” the Las Vegas Marathon website explains. Some of the sights runners can look forward to include “a marathon start line at Red Rock Canyon, as well as a tour through Downtown Summerlin, Symphony Park, 18b Arts District, Las Vegas Boulevard, and an exciting finish at Fremont Street Experience.”
Curious to join in on the very first Las Vegas Marathon? Here’s what you need to know.
Photo courtesy of the Las Vegas Marathon
Las Vegas Marathon races and perks
In addition to the full marathon, race day events also include a half marathon and the city’s unique 702 Race. The 702 Race, a 7.02-mile run, is a nod to the local Las Vegas area code. Each race begins bright and early at 6 a.m. Before the races start, every runner will get a bib and a race shirt. During registration, you can choose to upgrade your race shirt to a long sleeve, tank top, or tri-blend. Every runner who crosses the finish line will also earn a race-specific medal. The day before the races, participants can also pick up a gear bag during the race expo.
The Las Vegas Marathon race courses
Both the marathon and half marathon courses are described as “remarkably fast” and “point-to-point.” The Las Vegas Marathon course begins with a gorgeous view of the sunrise at Sandstone Quarry Overlook in Red Rock Canyon. The half marathon starts at Charleston Boulevard and Merialdo Lane, and the 702 Race begins at Charleston Boulevard and Strong Drive. All three races end at the Fremont Street Experience, a shopping and entertainment hub in downtown Las Vegas. Check out the full course maps and learn about some of the sights you’ll witness along the way here.
Sound like fun? If so, go ahead and get your registration sorted out. In the meantime, if you need some training pointers, you can check out these tips and this list of the best treadmills for marathon training.
The Alabama men’s basketball team will be traveling to Las Vegas for a first-of-its kind tournament!
According to CBS Sports senior writer and analyst Matt Norlander, the Alabama Crimson Tide is one of several teams that are set to participate in the Players Era Festival during the 2024-2025 season. The event will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada during the week of Thanksgiving.
Alabama is ranked as the No. 1 team in On3’s way-too-early Top-25 rankings. The Crimson Tide are expected to bring in four signees as well as four transfers for next season. In addition, Nate Oats’ squad could see as many as five players return from last year’s Final Four team. This should be a good tournament for the Crimson Tide to boost their resume and strenthen their confidence heading into conference play.
Per sources, the teams that have agreed to play in the Players Era Festival are: Alabama, Houston, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, San Diego State, Texas A&M. Each will be paid $1 million to participate. Huge additional NIL money will go to the winners. https://t.co/cFGRL1nSf1
What’s happening in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas this time.
Like it or not, NIL is a significant part of the college sports landscape now, and it’s not going away. So the time has come to incorporate NIL into actual competition. Notre Dame’s men’s basketball team reportedly will have the opportunity to do just that.
While the NCAA still disallows direct pay-for-play, the players’ money will come after completing activities away from the game while they’re in Las Vegas. So any talk that this is unethical if not illegal can be squashed.
This is the way of the future, and the Irish are getting in on the ground floor.
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#Chiefs rookie Jaden Hicks, a Las Vegas native, made it clear that he is not a Raiders fan during comments to the media.
The Kansas City Chiefs solidified their depth in the secondary during the 2024 NFL draft. The loss of several veterans at the start of the offseason has led to another shake-up in the defensive unit.
The selection of defensive back Jaden Hicks was an example of the youth movement continuing within Steve Spagnuolo’s group. Hicks reflected on his NFL draft experience and provided his thoughts on the Las Vegas Raiders while speaking with media on Sunday at rookie minicamp.
“It was a lot of weight lifted off the shoulders for being drafted; that was a cool moment me and my family had,” Hicks explained. “Just the process of getting in here, [I’ve] been working out trying to get prepared for this moment. I’m taking every moment like it’s my last. Getting the playbook down that’s been going good. First practice was really good, so I’m excited for the next few practices.”
Hicks is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada but made it very clear that he isn’t a fan of the NFL team that calls the city home.
“No, I wasn’t a fan of the Raiders, so you guys don’t have to worry about that,” said Hicks. “Even my family, they’re all excited for me. We’re all Kansas City Chiefs now; it’s pretty cool.”
Hicks was an impact player at Washington State and now joins fellow Cougar Jaylen Watson in the Kansas City secondary.
In 2023, Utah’s Zion National Park recorded over 4.6 million recreation visits. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the city of Las Vegas welcomed over 40.8 million visitors in 2023. In the middle of the Venn Diagram formed by these two statistics are the dynamic travelers who love the big city and the backwoods. Clocking in at around two hours and 10 minutes, the trip from Las Vegas to Zion National Park treats you to a fascinating journey from a hyper-developed tourism hub to a serene and awe-inspiring natural wonder. Curious to experience this journey for yourself? Make the trip extra memorable with this list of six attractions to see on the trip from Las Vegas to Zion National Park.
The course sits in the swanky neighborhood of Summerlin on the city’s west side.
Bear’s Best in Las Vegas was a novel idea from the start — a desert-based golf course with 18 of Jack Nicklaus’ favorite holes that he’d designed on more than 200 other golf courses.
The course sits in the swanky neighborhood of Summerlin on the city’s west side, not far from the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
But the golf course, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has been sold for $30.5 million.
According to the story, the manager of the new company that made the purchase has plenty of familiarity in the area.
The buyer is Mulligan Holdings LLC, which is headquartered in Las Vegas, but has California-based businessman Andrew Pascal listed as a manager. Pascal is the co-founder and CEO of PlayStudios, an online gaming and gambling app and website.
Pascal previously was president and COO of Wynn Las Vegas from 2003-10, according to his LinkedIn profile. Also named as one of the managers of Mulligan Holdings is Mike Mixer, who is the chairman and former executive managing director and co-founder of the Colliers International Las Vegas office. The company provided the following statement via email to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“We will continue to prioritize the golf experience for our daily players and want to thank the incredible team that has made Bear’s Best one of the premier golf courses in the Las Vegas Valley. As we prepare for the next chapter, we look forward to redeveloping Bear’s Best into a world-class golf club, and social hub for the surrounding community, while further elevating Las Vegas as a globally recognized golf destination.”
We're #15 in Golfweek's Best 2020: Best Courses You Can Play, state by state! It's always an honor to be recognized as one of the best public courses in the state, so thank you Golfweek! https://t.co/vEbaO1qwZipic.twitter.com/tqZjZa6IVC
Ready to make a break from the casinos or hectic pace of the Las Vegas Strip? If you’re looking for the top golf courses around Sin City, Golfweek’s Best has you covered.
