Women's Basketball Selected to Participate in Fort Myers Tip-Off

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the third consecutive year, the Belmont University women's basketball program will participate in a prestigious MTE (multi-team event) this November. The Bruins have been selected to play in the highly-competitive 2024 Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off, which will be held Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 28-30 at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers, Florida.
 
The eight-team tournament field, which is broken up into two divisions, features defending national champion South Carolina and five total NCAA Tournament teams from last season. Belmont will join Virginia Tech, Michigan and Davidson College in the Shell Division of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, while the Island Division is comprised of South Carolina, Iowa State, Middle Tennessee and Purdue.
 
The first round of Shell Division games pits the Bruins versus Michigan and Virginia Tech versus Davidson on Friday, Nov. 29. Both the Fort Myers Tip-Off Shell Division championship game and third-place game will take place on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Wolverines have made each of the last six NCAA Tournaments and reached the Elite Eight in 2022. The Hokies have made the last four NCAA Tournaments and are only one season removed from the 2023 Final Four. The Wildcats won 18 games last season, including a victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
The four games of the Fort Myers Tip-Off Island Division are pre-set matchups. The full 2024 Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off schedule can be found below.
 

Date	Division	Matchup
Thursday, Nov. 28	Island Division	South Carolina vs. Iowa State
Thursday, Nov. 28	Island Division	Purdue vs. MTSU
Friday, Nov. 29	Shell Division	Michigan vs. Belmont
Friday, Nov. 29	Shell Division	Virginia Tech vs. Davidson
Saturday, Nov. 30	Island Division	MTSU vs. Iowa State
Saturday, Nov. 30	Island Division	South Carolina vs. Purdue
Saturday, Nov. 30	Shell Division	Third-Place Game
Saturday, Nov. 30	Shell Division	Championship Game

The Fort Myers Tip-Off is one of the strongest early season tournaments this year with 122 combined NCAA Tournament appearances and four national titles among the eight teams.
 
Belmont returns to the Sunshine State after partaking in the 2022 Gulf Coast Showcase just south of Fort Myers in Estero, Florida. The Bruins defeated Saint Louis and nearly knocked off both top-25 Villanova and Georgia Tech. Last November, Belmont headed to the desert for the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas where the Bruins challenged top-five ranked Stanford and routed Northwestern.
 
Under the leadership of head coach Bart Brooks, Belmont has gone 21-13 in neutral-site matchups and is 4-6 in MTE games.
 
This November will be the third all-time meeting between the Bruins and Michigan with the Wolverines winning the first two outings, which were also played on neutral floors during Thanksgiving tournaments in 2007 and 2008. Belmont has faced Virginia Tech only once before, a nailbiter that went the Hokies way in the opening round of the 2019 Daytona Beach Invitational in Florida. The Bruins and Davidson have yet to meet on the hardwood.
 
Belmont has secured four victories over current Big Ten Conference programs, including Northwestern, Oregon, Indiana and Nebraska. The Bruins have also earned five wins against current Atlantic Coast Conference teams, including Louisville, North Carolina (twice), Wake Forest and Clemson.
 
The winningest program in the state of Tennessee the last 10 seasons, Belmont has appeared in four of the last six NCAA Tournaments and reached the Round of 32 back-to-back years in 2022 and 2021. The Bruins are one of only 10 teams in the nation to have won 20 ore more games for nine-straight seasons.
 
Annually scheduling one of the most strenuous non-conference schedules in the country, Belmont is sure to have yet another daunting slate of opponents in 2024-25. The Bruins' complete non-conference schedule will be announced later this summer.
 
Travel packages for fans looking to join Belmont at the Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off will be available on Tuesday, July 16 at WomensFortMyersTipoff.com/Travel. The Westin Cape Coral at Marina Village and the Marriott Sanibel Harbour are the event's host hotels and fans will have the opportunity to stay where the teams stay and experience resort life to the fullest.
 
"We're proud to welcome these incredible programs to the Elevance Health Women's Fort Myers Tip-Off this November," said Mark Starsiak, vice president of basketball at Intersport and the event's director. "In welcoming the reigning national champion South Carolina, another top-10 program in Iowa State and a contingent of brand-name and NCAA Tournament-caliber programs to the event this year, we continue to build on the incredible success of the Tip-Off after just two years. It will be one of the most anticipated multi-day events of the season and we look forward to hosting the teams and their fans in Southwest Florida for an incredible experience."
 
For full Elevance Health Fort Myers Tip-Off details, including upcoming ticket information, visit WomensFortMyersTipoff.com.
 
How to Follow
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