Thirty-two Division I men's and women's college basketball programs are set to descend on Fort Myers in what's expected to be a loaded slate of action of Thanksgiving week basketball.
The Fort Myers Tip-Off and rebranded Coconut Hoops have returned, aiming to provide those traveling to Southwest Florida for the holiday an opportunity to see quality basketball.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOf the 34 games to be played across two venues, no game is bigger than on Thanksgiving Day at Florida SouthWestern's Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Michigan State and North Carolina, two of the biggest blue bloods, will meet at 4:30 p.m. in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The game will be nationally televised on FOX after the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers play in the 1 p.m. window.
Elliot Cadeau of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket as he is guarded by Jeremy Fears Jr. of the Michigan State Spartans during the first half of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 27, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii.College basketball: Blue bloods North Carolina, Michigan State headline 2025 Fort Myers Tip-Off
“Intersport has become synonymous with first-class, high-level college basketball experiences for teams at fans, but also attractive content options for television and distribution networks,” Intersport senior vice president Mark Starsiak said in a statement. “We’ve developed incredible relationships with CBS and FOX over the years and to be able to partner with both networks to bring four brand-name programs to air alongside their traditional Thanksgiving Day programming is an incredible exposure opportunity for the sport of college basketball. We’ve taken great pride in creating these showcase games for teams, fans and our television partners and we are eager to continue that tradition in November.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoth teams should fly into Fort Myers undefeated before Michigan State plays East Carolina on Tuesday, while North Carolina takes on St. Bonaventure in what will be undercard matchups of the Tip-Off men's division before Thursday's tilt.
Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Madison Square Garden in New York on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025.The teams met nearly a year to the day in Maui, with Michigan State escaping 94-91 in overtime. The Tar Heels hold the all-time series lead, 6-4.
“I’ve always said that I want to build memory-makers for my teams and our players," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "Getting the chance to be part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off and to play in Southwest Florida over the Thanksgiving holiday is one of those. We will play two games against very good and well-coached teams in both East Carolina and North Carolina. Add to it that you get to play on national TV on Thanksgiving Day, and it’s just a great opportunity for our program, and we’re thrilled to be coming to Fort Myers.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off will not be bracket format, but instead a two-game guarantee for eight teams, headlined by Power Four squads in Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, and Northwestern among others, all of which will be televised on ION.
Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) reacts during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesCoconut Hoops makes a full rebrand, switches venues
Formerly named the Gulf Coast Showcase played at Herrtz Arena for over a dozen years, Brooks Downing wanted to make a change. If the tournament was going to make a venue switch to a school that shared a similar name as the tournament, Downing knew a rebrand would make sense.
Farewell to the Gulf Coast Showcase, and welcome to Coconut Hoops.
Caitlin Clark of Iowa shoots a three pointer during their game against Purdue Fort Wayne in the 2023 Women's Gulf Coast Showcase on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Hertz Arena in Estero."It's something that we explored previously with FGCU under some prior leadership," said Downing, founder and president of bdG Sports. "It just didn't make sense at the time for obvious reasons... We liked it because it was a little bit smaller, which most of these events, even the granddaddy of them all, the Maui Invitational, seats a little over 2,000 people. You want a good crowd. These are great for destination locations. These are great for driving local economic impact.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Hertz Arena holds over 7,000 fans, but it was built for hockey. When you get off the sideline, it's a longer view, and some of the upgrades in the back of house just haven't been made in a while. Alico Arena is built for basketball, and it's used for basketball on a daily basis. We were always intrigued by that facility."
Men's tournament play will Monday through Wednesday and Friday through Sunday for the women. The agreement between bdG Sports and the university is set for three years, with an option for both parties for an extension.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Gulf Coast Showcase third place game at Hertz Arena in Estero on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023.FGCU Director of Athletics Colin Hargis came into his position last year looking to bring more brand exposure to the Eagles by getting the attention of part-time residents who may not be familiar with the 34-year-old school.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFan bases for programs like Indiana, Iowa State, Marquette, Oklahoma, and Toledo, among others, will be inside Alico Arena this year.
"As we try to amplify the brand of FGCU and raise awareness of the university, as well as the athletic department, when you think about a tournament like this with all the national brands, the marquee brands, and the other universities, their fans and their alums who are either traveling into town or may be down here for season, it's a huge opportunity for us to bring people in," Hargis said.
"With that, we were interested. We want to host. Then the devil's in the details, making sure all the dates work and the logistics. It's a lot of moving parts, and there's a lot of people that were part of the athletic department in the university that helped to ensure we could pull this off. We are very excited to welcome a lot of unique fan bases to FGCU."
The men's tournament will have one bracketed tournament, dubbed the Royal Palm Division. Troy and Toledo will play in one half of the bracket, while Belmont and Saint Francis will play on the other side. The winners will play in the championship, while the losers will play in a consolation.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Tarpon Bay Division features FGCU, Kennesaw State, Oral Roberts, and Rice, but instead of a bracket format, those four teams will play a round robin over three days.
Previously: South Carolina women's basketball headlines Thanksgiving SW Florida college hoop events
The women's tournament has a history of drawing top national programs with UConn, Iowa with Caitlin Clark, and Dawn Staley-led South Carolina all making appearances. This year's event includes Indiana in the Blue Heron Division, playing Gonzaga in the first round before playing either No. 12 Iowa State or Marquette. In a special one-off, before the FGCU women's basketball team departs for Las Vegas to play Stanford and Troy in the Resorts World Classic, they'll take on the Hoosiers on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 1 p.m.
Oklahoma's Skylar Vann (24) and Raegan Beers (52) celebrates next to Florida Gulf Coast 's Dolly Cairns (4) during second half of the first round of the NCAA Women's college basketball game between University of Oklahoma Sooners and Florida Gulf Coast at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, March, 22, 2025.The Great Egret Division is headlined by a consensus Top-10 team in the Oklahoma Sooners, who will be alongside Florida State, Missouri State, and Coppin State.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFort Myers Tip-Off: South Carolina women's basketball rebounds from UCLA loss, stuffs Iowa State
With those ranked teams on the women's side, Downing hopes it helps the men's tournament attract a renowned men's team or two in the field, something the tournament has lacked over the past few years.
"I think what we're hoping for, now that we're able to show this change, kind of reset our flag in the market at FGCU, bring in new sponsors, those sponsorship dollars are going to help us recruit these teams that we want to bring down, especially on the men's side. And then when that comes, then here comes television as well. Everything's been streamed and it's always been a busy time for sports programming.
"I think with what we've got planned, we hope to elevate everything we're doing with this move and that's the way it's kind of shaping up."
Kansas State Wildcats guard Serena Sundell (4) goes for a lay up while being guarded by Iowa Hawkeyes guard Gabbie Marshall (24) during the first quarter of the Gulf Coast Showcase championship game at Hertz Arena in Estero on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023.Men's Fort Myers Tip-Off Schedule
At Florida SouthWestern's Suncoast Arena
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMonday, Nov. 24
Bucknell vs. Bowling Green, 12 p.m.
VMI vs. Buffalo, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Michigan State vs. East Carolina, 1 p.m.
North Carolina vs. St. Bonaventure, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 26
VMI vs. Bowling Green, 11 a.m.
Bucknell vs. Buffalo, 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 27
St. Bonaventure vs. East Carolina, 12 p.m.
Michigan State vs. North Carolina, 4:30 p.m.
Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off Schedule
At Florida SouthWestern's Suncoast Arena
Friday, Nov. 28
Abilene Christian vs. Northwestern, 11 a.m.
Missouri vs. Bradley, 1:30 p.m.
Butler vs. Dayton, 5 p.m.
Kansas vs. Georgia, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29
Abilene Christian vs. Bradley, 11 a.m.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMissouri vs. Northwestern, 1:30 p.m.
Butler vs. Georgia, 5 p.m.
Kansas vs. Dayton, 7:30 p.m.
GEICO Coconut Hoops Men's Schedule
At FGCU's Alico Arena
Monday, Nov. 24
Troy vs. Toledo, 11 a.m.
Belmont vs. Saint Francis, 1:30 p.m.
Kennesaw State vs. Rice, 4:30 p.m.
FGCU vs. Oral Roberts, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 25
Oral Roberts vs. Kennesaw State, 4:30 p.m.
FGCU vs. Rice, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 26
Troy/Toledo loser vs. Belmont/Saint Francis loser, 11 a.m.
Troy/Toledo winner vs. Belmont/Saint Francis winner, 1:30 p.m.
Rice vs. Oral Roberts, 4:30 p.m.
FGCU vs. Kennesaw State, 7 p.m.
GEICO Coconut Hoops Women's Schedule
At FGCU's Alico Arena
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFriday, Nov. 28
Iowa State vs. Marquette, 11 a.m.
Indiana vs. Gonzaga, 1:30 p.m.
Florida State vs. Missouri State, 4 p.m.
Oklahoma vs. Coppin State, 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30
Iowa State/Marquette loser vs. Indiana/Gonzaga loser, 11 a.m.
Iowa State/Marquette winner vs. Indiana/Gonzaga winner, 1:30 p.m.
Florida State/Missouri State loser vs. Oklahoma/Coppin State loser, 4 p.m.
Florida State/Missouri State winner vs. Oklahoma/Coppin State winner, 6:30 p.m.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers Tip-Off, GEICO Coconut Hoops bringing 32 college hoops teams
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