Rice Owls Men's Hoops to Participate in Gulf Coast Showcase

POSTED: July 29, 2021 -- 12:45 p.m. CT

Thursday afternoon, the Rice Owls men's basketball team announced it will be one of 8 teams that will compete in the 2021 Gulf Coast Showcase. The event will take place on November 22-24 at Hertz Arena in Estero, FL.

In addition to the Owls, other participants in the ninth edition of the event include Akron, Sun Belt champion Appalachian State, Delaware, Evansville, Fordham, Oakland and America East regular season champion Vermont.

Rice will open the tournament against Evansville on November 22, at 10 a.m. CT. The Owls will then face either Oakland or Vermont on November 23. Akron, Appalachian State, Delaware and Fordham are on the other side of the bracket.

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"With the Gulf Coast Showcase serving as one of the oldest college basketball tournaments in the Sunshine State, we're excited to be planning the 2021 events to have full fields and with typical crowds once again," said Brooks Downing, CEO of bdG Sports. "Last year, we were one of the few event operators that staged games during the pandemic and kept our teams 100 percent safe and continuing to play, all thanks to the Covid-free #BeachBubble we created. To have 16 teams in Fort Myers and meet a growing demand by creating an additional eight-team men's event in Naples will likely bring a $2 million impact to the area. It's an exciting day for basketball fans on the Gulf Coast and we're excited to create that massive of an impact in an area we call home."

Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resorts, and ticket information can be found at www.gulfcoastshowcase.com and on social media at @GCShowcase.

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