FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue Fort Wayne women’s basketball will play Iowa and 2023 National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark in the opening round of the bdG Clean Simple Eats Gulf Coast Showcase on November 24.

The field for the 2023 Showcase is stacked with high-caliber women’s basketball programs. The Hawkeyes headline the bracket, with Kansas State, North Carolina, Florida Gulf Coast, Western Kentucky, Vermont and Delaware rounding out the field.

Iowa (31-7, 15-3 Big Ten in 2022-23) finished as national runners up to LSU in the 2023 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 (No. 3) 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 former Mastodon 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 Colonial 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.
  • 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 X, Instagram, and Facebook.

ABOUT bdG SPORTS
bdG Sports is a leader in turn-key event management with a primary focus in basketball and professional golf. The firm boasts an event portfolio that has impacted multiple communities throughout North America and the Caribbean while featuring broadcasts to viewers across the globe.

In basketball, bdG is one of the industry leaders in games produced annually. From summer exhibition tours to multiple high-profile in-season tournaments – such as the Continental Tire Main Event at T-Mobile Arena, the Gulf Coast Showcase in Fort Myers, and more than 20 teams participating in three Baha Mar Hoops events in Nassau — bdG will contract nearly 150 regular-season men’s and women’s Division I basketball games. bdG is proud to be the only third-party operator which manages a conference tournament, assisting The Big West Conference Tournament each March in Henderson, Nev. In professional basketball, bdG manages all the home games for the NBA G-League’s Ignite which also plays at that same venue.

In professional golf, bdG owns and operates two season-opening Korn Ferry Tour tournaments, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic and The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, both featuring $1 million purses. bdG also manages multiple pro-ams throughout the year at destination golf clubs such as Albany, Shadow Creek, Whistling Straights and Bandon Dunes.