The Gulf Coast Showcase returns to Southwest Florida for the eighth time next week after a year hiatus due to the pandemic. The eight-team men’s field, featuring mid-major programs even the casual college basketball fan would recognize, begins play on Monday, November 22nd and continues through Wednesday, November 24th.
“It is so great to have Thanksgiving week back the way it was intended to be in Fort Myers, full of basketball,” said Glenn Pfister, tournament director. “The teams we have assembled all have a legitimate chance of winning their respective conferences and playing in the NCAA Tournament next March. They’re really good teams, so the bigger schools will refuse to schedule them in most cases, which is why we created this event in 2013 to give them an opportunity to play quality opponents on a netural floor. And despite last year’s challenges, this tournament is back bigger than ever.”
Headlining the men’s event are perennial conference contenders Appalachian State, Vermont, Akron, and Oakland, as well as Rice, Evansville, Fordham, and Delaware. Rice and Evansville kick-off the tournament Monday morning, with tip-off set at 11:00 a.m. ET, followed by Vermont and Oakland at 1:30 p.m., Akron and Fordham at 5:00 p.m., and Appalachian State and Delaware at 7:30 p.m.
All games will be broadcast on FloHoops (flohoops.com). A one-month, all-access pass can be purchased for $29.99 and can be cancelled at any time following the event.
Ticket and Fan Travel Information
Tickets for the 2021 Gulf Coast Showcase are on-sale now at Ticketmaster.com, keyword search “Gulf Coast Showcase”. Single session tickets range from $10 to $25 for each two-game session. Each day of the tournament will feature two, two-game sessions – the morning/afternoon session beginning at 11:00 a.m. followed by an evening session beginning at 5:00 p.m. Single session tickets will be good for both games of the given session.
Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resort hotel – the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point – is available on www.GulfCoastShowcase.com.
The tournament will require patrons to wear a mask indoors.