ESTERO, Fla. – Reigning National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes will be on display when the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase returns to Hertz Arena on Nov. 24-26. The eight-team tournament field features six squads that competed in postseason play a year ago.
Iowa (31-7, 15-3 Big Ten in 2022-23) finished as national runners up to LSU in the NCAA Tournament while North Carolina (22-11, 11-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) and FGCU (33-4, 17-1 Atlantic Sun) advanced to the second round of March Madness. Vermont (25-7, 14-2 America East) lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Kansas State (19-17, 5-13 Big 12) advanced to the Super 16 of the WNIT. Western Kentucky (19-14 overall, 14-6 Conference USA) dropped its first-round game in the WNIT.
A trio of teams garnered 2023-24 preseason attention in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 Poll in May. Iowa (ranked third) joined North Carolina (No. 19) and Kansas State (No. 24) among those listed as potential national contenders.
FGCU may have something to say about a Top 25 ranking in 2023-24 as well. The Eagles have posted five Top 25 finishes in the past six seasons. FGCU owns a 582-105 (.847) all-time mark since head coach Karl Smesko started the program prior to the 2002-03 season. The .847 win percentage is the best in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history.
Delaware (16-14, 9-9 Coastal Athletic Association) and Purdue Fort Wayne (14-19, 9-11 Horizon League) complete the eight-team field for the 2023 Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase.
The action tips Friday, Nov. 24 with the following matchups:
- Kansas State vs. Western Kentucky – 11 a.m. ET
- North Carolina vs. Vermont – 1:30 p.m.
- Florida Gulf Coast vs. Delaware – 5 p.m.
- Iowa vs. Purdue Fort Wayne – 7:30 p.m.
Game times for Saturday and Sunday will be the same with semifinal games on Nov. 25
at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday’s championship game will tip at 7:30 p.m.
All games will be streamed live on FloHoops.
The Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase will continue to support the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The hospital is the only children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami and provides vital health care for the region’s sick and injured children and their families. The hospital’s facility provides 300,000 square feet of space, 128 pediatric and NICU beds, a 17-bay emergency department, a freestanding pediatric pharmacy and in-hospital school classroom.
TICKET AND FAN TRAVEL INFORMATION
Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resort, and ticket information can be found at the official event website – www.gulfcoastshowcase.com. Tickets go on sale beginning Thursday, Aug. 10.
GULF COAST SHOWCASE SOCIAL TAGS
Keep up to date with the latest information regarding the Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase via social media at @GCShowcase on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.