NICEVILLE, Fla. — Drake men's basketball is scheduled to play in the 2025 Emerald Coast Classic basketball tournament, presented by Global Sports, the tournament on Wednesday. DePaul, Georgia Tech and LSU are also in the field for the multiple-team event.
The tournament will be played Thanksgiving weekend November 28-29 at Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.
Drake will play LSU at 8:30 p.m. central time on Friday, Nov. 28 to begin its tournament. DePaul will face Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. central time for the first game of the MTE. 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. Both of the games on Friday as well as the championship game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
The Bulldogs are 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.
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. 3 by 24/7sports.
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.
Tickets will go on sale for the tournament later this summer.
For more information visit the tournament website www.emeraldcoastclassic.com
Emerald Coast Classic History
2023 — Ohio State, champion; Santa Clara, runner-up
2022 — TCU, champion; Iowa, runner-up
2021 — LSU, champion; Wake Forest, runner-up
2019 — Florida State, champion; Purdue, runner-up
2018 — Cincinnati, champion; Ole Miss, runner-up
2017 — TCU, champion; St. Bonaventure, runner-up
2016 — Virginia, champion; Providence, runner-up
2015 — Iowa State, champion; Illinois, runner-up
2014 — Ole Miss, champion; Cincinnati, runner-up
