Tickets still available for men’s and women’s tournaments Thanksgiving week
College basketball fans will have plenty to cheer about this Thanksgiving as both the men’s and women’s Emerald Coast Classic tournaments return to Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College. Tickets are still available at www.emeraldcoastclassic.com and start at $20 per session, which includes two games.
Women’s Classic: Nov. 24–25
The second annual women’s Emerald Coast Classic, presented by Global Sports, will tip off Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 24–25, featuring two brackets of top NCAA programs. Mississippi State, Providence, Middle Tennessee State, and Alcorn State make up the Bay Bracket, while Nebraska, Virginia, Northwestern State, and Purdue Fort Wayne compete in the Beach Bracket.
In the Bay Bracket semifinals on Nov. 24, Providence faces Middle Tennessee State at 11 a.m., followed by Mississippi State vs. Alcorn State at 1:30 p.m. The third-place game is set for 11 a.m. Tuesday, with the championship tipping off at 1:30 p.m.
The Beach Bracket opens Monday evening with Nebraska meeting Purdue Fort Wayne at 5 p.m., then Virginia facing Northwestern State at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday’s third-place game begins at 5 p.m., with the championship at 7:30 p.m.
Mississippi State posted a 22-12 record last season, advancing to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Nebraska went 21-12 and also reached the NCAA Tournament, while Middle Tennessee State finished 26-8 and earned a WBIT berth. Alabama and Creighton captured titles in last year’s inaugural women’s event.
Men’s Classic: Nov. 28–29
The tenth annual men’s Emerald Coast Classic follows Thanksgiving weekend, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28–29. DePaul will face Georgia Tech in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by Drake vs. LSU at 8:30 p.m. The third-place game tips at 3 p.m. Saturday, with the championship scheduled for 6 p.m.
LSU returns to Niceville after winning the 2021 Emerald Coast Classic, defeating Wake Forest 75–61 in the title game. “This is going to be the wave of the future for weather,” said Matt McMahon, now in his fourth season as LSU’s head coach, who welcomes a transfer class ranked No. 16 nationally by 247Sports.
Drake enters with momentum after a school-record 31–4 season, sweeping the Missouri Valley Conference and advancing to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Georgia Tech, under third-year coach Damon Stoudamire, finished 17–17 last year with a trip to the NIT. DePaul, guided by first-year coach Chris Holtmann, reached the College Basketball Crown tournament—its first postseason appearance since 2019.
Produced by Global Sports, which has managed 57 multi-team college basketball tournaments since 2007, the Emerald Coast Classic continues to bring national-level excitement to the Emerald Coast.
Tickets are available now at www.emeraldcoastclassic.com.
