Wild West Basketball Roadtrip – “November Madness” a “Sin City”

Our photographer Thomas Savoia is back in the States to experience the start of the collegiate season, and for his fourth stop he is in Las Vegas to attend Player Era Festival 2025, a tournament played before the eyes of many NBA scouts.

LAS VEGAS (NV), November 26, 2025 – It’s 8 in the morning when I arrive at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the least we can say is that my eyes are small. It’s been a long road since Utah and moving from Prudish Salt Lake and the capital brilliance of the game is a bit too violent for me.

At first glance, nothing sets this Thanksgiving weekend apart from any other on the Strip. Neon lights vibrate under the desert sky, poker players squeeze into glass rooms, and in the distance we can hear the steady hum of taxis moving up Tropicana Avenue. However, from November 24 to 27, the city will change pace. The 2025 Player Era Festival has taken over Vegas, and with it all the chaos, surprises and magic that college basketball has to offer.

The tournament, which brings together 18 top teams, takes place in two parallel rooms. I decide to concentrate on the “MGM Grand Garden Arena”, a boxing temple if ever there was one. I’m sitting under the bleachers for the first game between Tennessee and Rutgers and run into Danny Ainge and the crowdmanagers and from scouts The NBA came as an observer to judge this crowd prospects. The Tennessee public came in droves. They fervently sing ” a fight song » from their faculty. Rutgers got a nice morning blowout, and their coach, depressed by the apathy of his players, apologized for it in a press conference.

I continue with the very good Notre Dame – Kansas. Jayhawks fans are making noise like crazy. We feel the fervor around the team. Behind me, players scream every time Fighting Irish point guard Marcus Burton touches the ball. They bet to score more than 15 points: bingo! The media canteen is a calorie bomb: between enchiladas, jabalaya and hamburgers, my liver is going to take a big hit this week!

It was the Syracuse Orangemen’s turn to enter the arena. Carmelo Anthony and his wife came to support their son It iswho is freshman for ‘Cuse. The Orangemen have the match point, but lose in overtime (overtime work) against a solid Houston team, No. 3 in the country. there” night session » can start. Spanish fans are on hand to support Gonzaga leader Mario St-Superio, who orchestrates his team’s victory against a formidable Alabama team! In the evening, Maryland unsurprisingly knocked off UNLV, the local university. I am absolutely exhausted and go to bed after eating a slice of pizza amidst the noise of the slot machines.

The next day I arrive exactly at 10 o’clock in the Arena, where I am now finding my way. Rutgers is a tone below Notre Dame, despite a visit from their former star Ace Bailey, who came from neighboring Salt Lake. Then Melo returns to support his son against Kansas. THE freshman is pretty tough despite the family’s encouragement and Syracuse’s second straight loss.

The John Wooden Award, a trophy that recognizes the best college player of the year, is located in the Arena. I’m lucky enough to be able to touch it and carry it within arm’s reach. Who will succeed Cooper Flag? AJ Dibantsa or Duke’s Cameron Boozer? Unless he’s one of the players developing right before my eyes? I really like Nate Ament, the Tennessee Vols wing. Definitely Top 5 in the upcoming draft. He puts on a show in a knife duel against the Houston Cougars, where the Vols will spring a surprise (I’m upset). Then Gonzaga punched their ticket to the finals with impressive ease by defeating Maryland in a clear fashion. As a reminder, each team plays two games and the top 4 qualify for the ” Final Four », the places are decided based on the difference in points in case of a tie! Teams are therefore interested in playing hard all the time.

To get some fresh air after this orange ball orgy, I’m going to walk the Strip and fill myself with neon lights. This city really doesn’t make any sense, but this night walk makes me feel good.

The third day is Championship day » and we begin with the classification game in which Houston surprisingly defeats Notre Dame. Then I’m eligible for the excellent Syracuse – Iowa State. I discover the young Frenchman Kylian Toure who is wreaking havoc on the Cyclone side and who will be the architect of a great victory. Full of talent and energy, the former ASVEL resident is a player to watch closely in the coming months!

I’m attending a press conference held by the head of the tournament, Seth Berger. He announces 32 teams for next year, pointing out that he just signed with the BIG 12. As a reminder, the winner of the tournament gets a whopping million dollars! We are obviously in a different world.

Place on Final Four with a thrilling Kansas-Tennessee for third place that will give me goosebumps, as the level of play will rise and offer a true battle of the leaders, which will turn in favor of Kansas, albeit without its star Derrin Peterson.

But Michigan will make history. A team capable of destroying everything that stands in their way and who will leave Vegas with the costume of a natural candidate for Final Four. From their first matchup, Michigan set the standard. Horrible win against No. 2 San Diego State, Michelob Arena: Like a statement of intent sent to everyone. The next day, against Auburn, the gap widened even further, to the point where the room froze at times in the face of so much offensive ease. And then it was time for the finals against Gonzaga, a legendary name, a college basketball institution… swept 101-61!

What blew me away wasn’t just the victory, but also the manner: impressive bench depth, rotations that never give the opponent a chance to breathe, and leaders that alternate without leveling off. Jaakel Landeborg, MVP of the tournament, has established himself as an absolute conductor. Alongside him, Trey McKenney, Morez Johnson Jr, Nimari Burnett, Adai Mara… so many interchangeable faces make up a perfectly oiled machine. In the aisles of MGM Garden, NBA scouts are scribbling tirelessly. This is no surprise (upset), it’s a demonstration!

The Player Era Festival is unique in that it is unlike any other early season tournament. Here, students meet NBA stars on vacation, coaches take the stage as artists, and fans go from blackjack table to top-25 matchup in minutes. Every night, as I leave the arena, I encounter groups of fans who continue to sing on the Strip like they own the city. Michigan fans even settled into the Cosmopolitan, where the entire bar improvised “Wolverines Central,” between blue beers, impromptu songs and video highlights of the action looped on casino screens.

Inside MGM, the atmosphere changes as the hours pass. Early afternoon games reek of NCAA tradition: university flags on display, excited students, mascots. But the late meetings, the ones that start at 9:00 p.m., turn into a typical “ your Vegas »: a mixture of celebration, fatigue, adrenaline and constant noise, where every basket causes disproportionate reactions, as if the public is also playing a high-voltage match.

In leaving Las Vegas, Michigan isn’t just leaving with a trophy. The program leaves with an identity, new confidence, and above all, the belief that this season can take them far. When a team dominates three opponents, including two ranked programs, displaying this mix of grit and exuberance, it becomes impossible to ignore.

As for the Player Era Festival, this 2025 edition confirms it: it is no longer a simple marketing event, but a real pillar of the NCAA calendar. The format, criticized again last year, seems to have found its balance. Major teams flock there; players enjoy being on stage, and Vegas brings this dose of excess that turns every action into a moment of spectacle.

Therefore, in the desert of Nevada is mine Road trip. Between the artificial palm trees, the giant hotels, and the ubiquitous neon lights, college basketball just found a showcase to suit itself and I got to experience it from the inside. Hoping you wanted to book your ticket for the 2026 edition!

All photos from the tournament are go.