NCAA Tournament second-round participants Alabama, Creighton and Syracuse headline an eight-team field in the inaugural Emerald Coast Classic Women’s Basketball Tournament, presented by Global Sports. Games will be played Nov. 25 and 26 at Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.
Alabama State, UAB, Clemson, Missouri and Wichita State also are competing in the tournament.
Championships will be determined in two brackets. Alabama, Alabama State, Clemson and UAB will play in the Bay Bracket. Creighton, Missouri, Syracuse and Wichita State comprise the Beach Bracket.
Clemson will face UAB in a semifinal round game at 11 a.m. central time on Monday, Nov. 25, while Alabama will play Alabama State at 1:30 p.m. The third-place game will be played at 11 a.m. on Tuesday Nov. 26 with the championship game scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. tip off on that Tuesday.
Opening round games in Beach Bracket on that Monday feature Syracuse against Missouri in a 5 p.m. tip with Wichita State playing Creighton at 7:30 p.m. The third-place game will start at 5 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 26 with the championship game slated for 7:30 p.m.
Alabama, Creighton and Syracuse all advanced to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Syracuse and Creighton were ranked Nos. 20 and 23, respectively, in the final Associated Press women’s basketball poll.
Online tickets for the tournament are available on the tournament website www.emeraldcoastclassic.com.
“We have assembled a great field in this inaugural year of the event and we hope to make this one of the top pre-season women’s college basketball events annually,” said tournament director Maury Hanks, who is also chief executive officer for Global Sports.
Syracuse, under the direction of ACC Coach of the Year Felisha Legette-Jack, posted a 24-8 record while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Creighton, which finished second in the Big East Conference, went 26-6 and also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Alabama had a 24-10 record.
“We are ecstatic about hosting this women’s basketball tournament at Northwest Florida State College,” said Ramsey Ross, director of athletics at Northwest Florida. “The entire northwest Florida region thrives on collegiate athletics and we welcome the opportunity that this women’s tournament presents.”
Global Sports has produced 55 multi-team college basketball tournaments since 2007, with three more coming during the 2024-25 season.
The Emerald Coast Classic men’s tournament will return in 2025 on Thanksgiving weekend. LSU, Georiga Tech and DePaul are already under contract for the event.
