The Skechers Fort Myers Tip-Off will showcase the 17th-ranked Michigan State Spartans and 18th-ranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels among several top NCAA men’s basketball programs at Suncoast Credit Union Arena next week. The action unfolds on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College.
The Spartans enter with a 3-0 record. North Carolina boasts a 4-0 mark.
St. Bonaventure, which remains unranked but carries a 4-0 record, could upset the two ranked squads in what organizers bill as the “Who will own the fort” tournament.
Games kick off Monday with the Palms Division pitting Bucknell against Bowling Green at noon. Virginia Military Institute will face off against Buffalo at 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday’s Beach Division games include Michigan State squaring off against East Carolina at 1 p.m., and North Carolina takes on St. Bonaventure at 6 p.m..
Wednesday’s slate has Virginia Military Institute meeting Bowling Green at 11 a.m. Bucknell and Buffalo play at 1:30 p.m.
Thursday will deliver the marquee matchup between the Spartans and Tar Heels at 4:30 p.m. St. Bonaventure and East Carolina meet at noon before the main event.
The women’s competition will take place Nov. 28 and Nov. 29. No AP Top 25 squads will participate, though several major programs will compete.
Kansas, Georgia, Butler, Dayton, Northwestern, Missouri and Abilene Christian make up the women’s field.