FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 12, 2024) – The Palms Division of the Fort Myers Tip-Off was announced today, featuring four teams taking part in a bracketed tournament on Nov. 25-26 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. Jacksonville, Mercer, Miami (OH) and Siena make up the four-team Palms Division bracket, marking the fourth year the Fort Myers Tip-Off has hosted two divisions as part of the event.

The Palms Division teams join the previously announced Beach Division field of Michigan, Xavier, South Carolina and Virginia Tech in a Thanksgiving Week college basketball showcase in Southwest Florida. Game times and matchups for both the Palms and Beach Division will be announced in the coming weeks.

Travel packages for fans looking to join their favorite team at the Fort Myers Tip-Off are now available at www.fortmyerstipoff.com/travel. The Marriott Sanibel Harbour is the host hotel for the Palms Division teams and fans will have the opportunity to stay where the teams stay and experience resort life to the fullest.

As part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, each team from the Beach Division will host one team from the Palms Division prior to competing in Fort Myers. The full schedule of on-campus games can be found below.

Fort Myers Tip-Off On-Campus Games
November 18
Miami (OH) at Michigan

November 20
Jacksonville at Virginia Tech
Siena at Xavier

November 21
Mercer at South Carolina

The complete game schedule, including matchups, in Fort Myers will be announced in the coming weeks. Between the Beach and Palms Divisions of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, eight games will be held over the course of three days leading up to Thanksgiving Day. In total, four games – two Beach Division and two Palms Division – will be played on Nov. 25, two Palms Division games will be held on Nov. 26 and two Beach Division games will take place on Nov. 27.

For more information on the event and to receive email alerts regarding future event news, log on to www.fortmyerstipoff.com and follow Intersport Basketball on Twitter (X) and Instagram at @IntersportHoops.

About the Teams of the Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Division

Jacksonville

• Jacksonville will be entering its fourth season under head coach Jordan Mincy, having won 50 games over the last three years, the most in a three-year stretch since the 2008-11 seasons
• The Dolphins advanced to the ASUN Tournament semifinals last year after defeating top-seeded Eastern Kentucky
• All time, Jacksonville has recorded four conference championships and five NCAA Tournament berths

Mercer

• Ryan Ridder assumes leadership of the Mercer basketball program, boasting nearly 15 years of head coaching experience
• Ridder comes to Mercer after most recently serving as head coach at UT Martin, leading the team on a 13-win turnaround from eight wins in his first year to 21 wins this past season and a share of the OVC Championship
• The Bears have recorded six conference titles – three regular season and three tournament titles – and a trio of NCAA Tournament berths in their history

Miami (OH)

• Travis Steele is beginning his third season as the RedHawks head coach, where last season he helped the program post just its second .500 or better league record since 2011 (9-9 in 2024 and 9-8 in 2021)
• Steele arrived to Miami (Ohio) after a 14-year run at Xavier, including the last four as head coach of the program
• The RedHawks have won a combined 25 conference championships including 21 regular-season MAC titles and four conference titles, and 17 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances

Siena

• Siena welcomes Gerry McNamara to campus as its new head coach, having previously spent the last 15 years at Syracuse, his alma mater
• McNamara brings a winning pedigree to Siena, having won the 2003 national championship as a player and a pair of Final Four appearances with the Orange as an assistant coach
• The Saints have captured at least a share of nine MAAC regular season championships and won six MAAC Tournament titles, while earning seven NCAA Tournament bids