(07-06-2021 09:04 AM)elw4796 Wrote:  Not fully sure what to make of this, but The D1 Docket (CUSA compatriot and somebody who I trust) has Rice playing 3 games in Fort Myers from November 22 to November 24. The Ft. Myers tipoff takes place during those dates, but that field has been set for a few weeks (Rice is not in it). I combed through the schedules on The D1 Docket and there appear to be 7 other teams matching Rice's entry: Appalachian State, Evansville, Vermont, Fordham, Delaware, Akron, and Oakland. Assuming this is some kind of tournament (though I trust the source I can't find anything from any of the teams), some info below (again, this is without rosters being fully finalized):

> App State: KP = 212. Should be around the middle of the Sun Belt this year
> Evansville: KP = 204. Probably a bottom half team in a competitive Missouri Valley, but they bring back a good amount of production
> Vermont: KP = 133. Perennially the class of the America East. Should be as good or better than last year
> Fordham: KP = 310. Awful team last year, lost most of the team to the portal. I like Kyle Neptune but this is a disastrous roster
> Delaware: KP = 225. Should be very good next year. Basically return their entire roster and add a couple of guys who should contribute
> Akron: KP = 112. They lose Loren Jackson, perhaps a top 3 mid-major PG. But most everybody else should return and they've got some good transfers
> Oakland: KP = 221. Lost a couple of impact players. Don't think they'll be better than last year but Kampe is a brilliant coach so who knows

Again, assuming this is a real thing, not a killer group of teams but there would be a couple of opportunities.

Excellent sleuthing!

"Blogging the Bracket"(https://www.bloggingthebracket.com/2021/...ournaments) has these teams in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. (south of Ft. Myers). (It cites The D1 Docket, but only Fordham's participation shows on that link ... and its link to the Fordham schedule has last year's games.)

The GCS website says it's played in Hertz Arena, but shows just an empty bracket: http://gulfcoastshowcase.com/#!/men

The GCS has been played since 2013. Here's a link to the event's Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Coast_Showcase

Akron & Middle Tennessee played in it last year. UTSA, Tulane & Lousiana were in the 2018 event. FAU was in the 2017 field; WKU played in 2015. UH beat Vermont by 1 point to win the 2016 GCS title, and LaTech won the inaugural event's crown (2013) by 4 points over St. Boneventure.

Hertz Arena is a 7,181-seat multi-purpose arena that opened in 1998 as the Everblades Arena, after the ECHL (formerly Each Coast Hockey League) mid-level minor league hockey team that plays there. Hertz bought the naming rights in September 2018.