LAS VEGAS – Gonzaga will face Michigan in the championship game of the 2025 Players Era Championship after defeating No. 4 Kentucky 88-72 in Spokane. Rasir Bolton scored 24 points, Drew timme added 22, and julian Strawther had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Anton Watson contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds while guarding reigning player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe.
gonzaga is participating in the second edition of the Players Era Championship, a tournament featuring 18 elite teams and aiming to expand to 32 in 2026. Nine games are being played between MGM Grand Garden and Michelob Ultra Arena. Thirteen programs ranked or receiving votes in the preseason AP Poll are competing, including No. 2 Houston, No. 5 St. john’s,No. 7 Michigan, No. 15 Alabama, No. 16 Iowa State, No. 18 Tennessee, No. 19 Kansas, No. 20 Auburn, No. 21 Gonzaga, No. 23 Creighton, Oregon, San Diego State, and Baylor.
Gonzaga has a strong record in Thanksgiving week events, going 50-14 overall under head coach Mark Few and 39-8 in the last 10 such events. Few’s teams have won seven tournaments during Thanksgiving week and reached 12 of 19 championship games.Last season, at the Battle 4 Atlantis, Gonzaga lost in overtime to West Virginia before defeating Indiana and Davidson.
The Bulldogs have a history of playing in Las Vegas, with eight regular season games prior to this year. They defeated No. 3 Georgia Tech 85-73 in 2004. In 2021, Gonzaga beat Central Michigan (107-54) and No. 2 UCLA (83-63) at the Empire Classic before falling to No. 5 Duke (84-81). Most recently,on Dec. 2, 2023, No. 11 Gonzaga defeated USC 89-76 at the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational.
Gonzaga has also found success in the WCC Tournament held in Las Vegas, going 35-4 as 2009. All four losses were to Saint Mary’s in the championship finals (2010, 2012, 2019, and 2024). The Bulldogs have won all 17 opening games of the tournament in Las vegas and have won in the WCC tournament semifinals for the past 28 years, with their last semifinal loss occurring in 1994 to San Diego. They are 31-2 in semifinal games at the tournament, winning all 17 in Las Vegas, and 13-4 in WCC Tournament finals played in Las Vegas, holding a 22-9 all-time record in championship games.
Gonzaga previously faced Kentucky in the 2002 Maui Invitational, winning 80-72. Blake Stepp led Gonzaga with 24 points and five three-pointers in that matchup, when Kentucky was ranked 15th and Gonzaga was no. 20.
