Mid-major men's basketball tournaments take over at Hertz Arena, Community School of Naples

If you’re a men’s college basketball fan, sweet 16 has come early to Southwest Florida.

A total of 16 men’s teams will play in two area tournaments run by BDG Sports this week at Hertz Arena and Community School of Naples Monday through Wednesday.

The Gulf Coast Showcase returns for its ninth season at Hertz Arena featuring NCAA regular Vermont; Appalachian State, which made the tournament last season; and Akron, which almost upset Ohio State on the opening week of this season, among its eight participants.

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The inaugural Naples Invitational at CSN features NCAA darlings from years past – Kent State (2002 Elite Eight), George Washington (1993 Sweet 16), East Tennessee State (upset No. 10 Arizona in 1992). Murray State (NCAA wins 1988, 2010, 2012, 2019) and Missouri State (1987 NCAA win, 1999 Sweet 16).

After trying to piece together an event last season during the global pandemic, tournament founder Brooks Downing said it’s great to have a semblance of normalcy.

He also has found out how much teams missed having events like this and how much fans have missed traveling.

“More teams came back to us with a demand for more men’s tournaments so we added eight more teams,” Downing said. “The only college floor with a hotel available was Community School of Naples and Naples Grande.

“We’ve also seen quite a bit of uptick in travel. Instead of teams saying, ‘I need 20 extra tickets’, now it’s, ‘I need, 75 tickets, 100.’ There’s a pent-up demand. Teams can fly in to RSW, Punta Gorda, Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Tampa.”

Bart Weiss, director of athletic operations at Community School of Naples, said he’s excited about having the event.

“It gets to showcase our school and the community in general,” he said. “It’s our first-ever kind of venture into this level of competition, and the teams they're bringing down are really from all over."

Based on CBS Sportsline’s preseason rankings, the Naples Invitational field is better and deeper than the Gulf Coast Showcase.

Wright State earned the highest ranking – 91 – followed by No. 114 Missouri State, then tightly bunched No. 123 Kent State, No. 125 James Madison and No. 126 Murray State.

The top teams on the Gulf Coast Showcase bracket are No. 104 Vermont, No. 132 Akron and No. 142 Appalachian State.

Wright State returns 10 players from last season's squad that finished 18-6 overall and recorded a 16-4 conference mark on the way to the third straight season of claiming at least a share of the Horizon League regular-season title. Three returning Raiders earned Horizon League postseason honors, with Tanner Holden on the first team, Grant Basile on the second team and Tim Finke garnering All-Defensive honors.

Missouri State has two players on the Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award watch list — Isiaih Mosley and Gaige Prim. The Bears return 89.4 percent of their scoring, 91.0 percent of their rebounding, 93.8 percent of their assists and 71.7 percent of their 3-pointers and all 5 starters from a 17-7 squad.

Kent State, 15-8 last year, returns four players with 14 or more starts, led by Giovanni Santiago. The redshirt sophomore point guard started all 23 games a year ago while leading the team in minutes played and assists. Malique Jacobs, a member of the 2020-21 All-MAC Defensive Team, also returns.

Second-year James Madison coach Mark Byington, the Colonial Athletic Association, has junior guard Vado Morse, who averaged 14.4 points, 2.4 assists and 2.0 rebounds.

For the first time since 2011, Murray State isn’t picked to finish first or second in the Ohio Valley Conference. The returning 1,000-point scorers, Tevin Brown and KJ Williams, were each named to the All-OVC Preseason Team.

Vermont senior Ryan Davis was named to the 2021-22 Lou Henson Award Watch List. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top mid-major player. Vermont was picked 16th in the Mid-Major Top 25, conducted by CollegeInsider.com. The Catamounts were the highest-ranked America East school.

Akron returns eight players from a squad that posted a 15-8 record and won the Mid-American Conference regular-season title.

Appalachian State went 17-12 last season and captured the Sun Belt Tournament title to punch the program's first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 2000. Coach Dustin Kerns returns 12 players from last season, including all three All-Sun Belt honorees. One of those is Justin Forrest, who averaged 13.2 points per game last season.

Gulf Coast Showcase

When: Monday-Wednesday

Where: Hertz Arena

First-round matchups

11 a.m.: Rice vs. Evansville

1:30 p.m.: Vermont vs. Oakland

5 p.m.: Akron vs. Fordham

7:30 p.m.: Appalachian State vs. Delaware

Tuesday second-round game times: 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

Championship game: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Naples Invitational

When: Monday-Wednesday

Where: Community School of Naples

First-round matchups

12 p.m.: Kent State vs. James Madison

2:30 p.m.: Wright State vs. George Washington

5:30 p.m.: East Tennessee State vs. Murray State

8 p.m. Missouri State vs. Long Beach State

Tuesday second-round game times: noon, 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 8 p.m.

Championship game: 8 p.m. Wednesday

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Gulf Coast Showcase, Naples Invitational bring mid-major men's basketball to Southwest Florida