ESTERO, Fla. – Celebrating its 10th year in Southwest Florida, the Gulf Coast Showcase men’s and women’s tournaments each feature loaded fields when college basketball returns to Hertz Arena in November. The two tournaments will take place on Thanksgiving week and feature FGCU and former tournament champ Toledo on the men’s side and six teams that competed in last season’s NCAA Tournament in the women’s field.
The action tips with the Gulf Coast Showcase men’s tournament on Nov. 21-23 at Hertz Arena. The eight-team tournament will be headlined by Toledo, the 2018 Gulf Coast Champion which has been the class of the MAC over the past two years, as well as FGCU looking to capitalize on last year’s 22-win campaign in new coach Pat Chambers first season at the helm. The men’s tournament starts on Monday, Nov. 21 with the following schedule:
- 11 a.m. ET – Toledo vs. Kansas City
- 1:30 p.m. ET – East Carolina vs. Indiana State
- 5 p.m. ET – Drexel vs. UT Arlington
- 7:30 p.m. ET – NKU vs. FGCU
“We’re excited to be playing in the Gulf Coast Showcase as it always brings great teams and matchups to Southwest Florida for fans to enjoy,” said new FGCU coach Pat Chambers. “It’s always a marquee event around the Thanksgiving holiday and we’re looking forward to being a part of it.”
Game times for Tuesday and Wednesday will be the same with semifinal games on Nov. 22 at 5:00/7:30. Wednesday’s championship game will tip at 7:30 p.m.
After a day-off on Thanksgiving, the women’s tournament tips on Friday, Nov. 25 headlined by six NCAA Tournament participants including 2016 Gulf Coast Showcase champion Baylor and South Florida making the short drive from Tampa. The women’s tournament is still considered by many as the premier women’s in-season event in all of college basketball. Past champions include UConn (2014 Gulf Coast Showcase champion), Stanford (2015), Baylor (2016), Notre Dame (2017), Texas (2018), Gonzaga (2019) and Iowa State (2021).
“This year’s Gulf Coast Showcase field is deep with six teams from last year’s March Madness field and some of the top coaches in the game,” said Women’s Tournament Director and CBS/ESPN analyst Debbie Antonelli. “Nicki Collen is a rising star in coaching at Baylor and one that local fans may recognize from her days on staff at FGCU. The Bears may enter as the favorite but there are some great teams, led by some outstanding coaches in this year’s field, so several of the teams in the field could go home with the hardware on Sunday night.”
The first-round pairings for this year’s women’s tournament are as follows:
- 11 a.m. ET – Baylor vs. Saint Louis
- 1:30 p.m. ET – Belmont vs. Villanova
- 5 p.m. ET – Michigan vs. Air Force
- 7:30 p.m. ET – Georgia Tech vs. USF
Game times for Saturday and Sunday will be the same as the men’s tournament.
Ticket and Fan Travel Information
Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resorts, and ticket information can be found at the official event websites – www.gulfcoastshowcase.com and on social media at @GCShowcase.
