The Players Era Festival in Las Vegas was always going to be a tough challenge for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were slated to face Rutgers and Houston, with a third game against an opponent to be determined after Wednesday's matchups.

Notre Dame men’s basketball dropped its third game in-a-row early Thursday morning, as they fell to Houston 65-54 in the Player Era Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The best-case scenario was that Rutgers basketball's stunning loss at Kennesaw State would serve as a wake-up call for a talented, youth-driven squad. Dylan Harper answered the alarm in resounding fashion Tuesday night.

Get the latest Rutgers vs. Notre Dame predictions ahead of Tuesday's clash. Free college basketball picks and predictions for November 26.

In a game that featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes, Irish power forward Paul Atkinson’s rebound basket with 1.2 seconds left gave Notre Dame an 89-87 victory and sent the Irish on to face Alabama in the first round in San Diego. Atkinson scored a game-high 26 points with six rebounds.

Notre Dame men's basketball guard Markus Burton has been the one constant for this program, but that all changed this week with an injury in Las Vegas

Notre Dame fans can exhale a little bit. Markus Burton suffered a knee injury early in the Irish loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Tuesday, and many wondered out loud if he might be done for the season.

Notre Dame basketball has suffered back-to-back disappointing losses after a promising 4-0 start. The Fighting Irish aim to get back on the winning track later on Wednesday night against No. 6 Houston as a massive 16.

Notre Dame men's basketball and Rutgers renewed their Big East rivalry in the first round of the new Players Era Festival tournament in Las Vegas