NICEVILLE, FLA. — Tickets for the tenth Emerald Coast Classic men’s college basketball tournament, presented by Global Sports, will go on sale at 11 a.m. Central time this Thursday (Sept. 4) on the official tournament website www.emeraldcoastclassic.com
Tickets, which start at $20, include entry for two games.
The Emerald Coast Classic will be played Thanksgiving weekend Nov. 28-29 at Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.
DePaul will face Georgia Tech in a semifinal round game at 6 p.m. central time on Friday, Nov. 28, while Drake will play LSU at 8:30 p.m. The third-place game will be played at 3 p.m. on Saturday Nov. 29 with the championship game scheduled for 6 p.m. that Saturday.
LSU will be making its second appearance in the Emerald Coast Classic, claiming the 2021 title after beating Wake Forest, 75-61, in the championship. Matt McMahon enters his fourth year as head coach welcoming an incoming transfer class that is ranked No. 16 by 247sports.
Drake is coming off a school-record 31-4 mark, sweeping the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles along with a trip to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Eric Henderson was named the school’s 31st head coach March 28. Drake has advanced to the last three straight NCAA Tournaments.
Georgia Tech, under third-year coach Damon Stoudamire, posted a 17-17 record last season, advancing to the National Invitational Tournament.
In his inaugural year as head coach Chris Holtmann guided DePaul to the first round of the 2025 College Basketball Crown, marking the school’s first appearance in the postseason tournament since the 2018-19 season. Holtmann led Ohio State to the 2023 Emerald Coast Classic championship.
Global Sports has produced 57 multi-team college basketball tournaments since 2007.
