Some of college basketball’s heavy hitters are set to take this hardwood at the end of the month in Fort Myers annual jumpstart to the NCAA hoops season.

Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off officials announced late last week a stacked four-team field is set for Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College, including powerhouses Kansas and Gonzaga, which finished ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, at the end of last season. Auburn and Saint Joseph’s round out the field in the third annual edition of the tournament that is attracting major programs to the Southwest Florida area.

“We are thrilled to be able to welcome some of college basketball’s bluebloods to Southwest Florida for the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off,” said Mark Starsiak, vice president at Intersport and event director for the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off in a release. “With the litany of scheduling challenges these programs faced in light of the new start of the college basketball season, we’re proud to bring these teams together for four games of incredible competition on a national stage. We’re looking forward to two days of high-level competition and put a national spotlight on Fort Myers, Lee County and Southwest Florida.”

Fans around the country will get to enjoy some high-octane college ball while enjoying their Thanksgiving meal with Gonzaga and Kansas squaring off in the opening matchup at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 on FOX. Auburn versus Saint Joseph’s follows at 4:30 on FS1.

On the 27th, Auburn takes on Gonzaga at 11 a.m. on FOX, and the Jayhawks battle the Hawks at 2 on FS1.

Tournament officials said an extremely limited number of fans will be able to attend due to social distancing restrictions in Suncoast Credit Union Arena. There will be no public sale of tickets, though a small number of socially distanced pairs of tickets will be distributed and can be requested online.

Top finishers in the Big 12 last season, a talented Kansas squad comes into the year ready to make its presence felt once again in a big way. Head coach Bill Self is poised to orchestrate his 18th season at the helm and has never entered the NCAA Tournament as lower than a No. 4 seed. Senior guard and defensive monster Marcus Garrett leads the Jayhawks who welcome four new additions including 2020 McDonald’s All-American guard Tyon Grant-Foster.

Last season’s No. 2 ranked team before COVID-19 brought the sports world to a halt collected 31 wins just a year ago and is ready to take the college hoops world over. Potentially the most potent offense in the NCAA, Gonzaga boasts studs like All-American forward Corey Kispert, guard Joel Ayayi and forward Drew Timme. The team also sees the addition of its most high-profile recruit in program history in top-10 prospect Jalen Suggs, a 6-foot-4 guard from Saint Paul. Bulldogs’ head coach Mark Few enters his 22nd season at Gonzaga and is just one win shy of 600 for his career.

Auburn has strung together three straight 25 or more win seasons under head coach Bruce Pearl and reached the Final Four in the 2018-2019 season — the first in team history.

A player who has had success on the floor of Southwest Credit Union in recent years, freshman guard Sharife Cooper, is a top recruit for the Tigers. Cooper led McEachern High School (GA) to a 2018 City of Palms Classic title and took home MVP honors as a junior. He’s joined by top-recruits JT Thor and Justin Powell.

Saint Joseph’s returns all five leading scorers from last season under the direction of second year head coach Billy Lange (former six-year assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers).

The Hawks are led by third team all-conference talent Ryan Daly who paced the A-10 in scoring at 20.6 points per game.

Fans interested in attending the event should submit a ticket request form at www.fortmyerstipoff.com/tickets. Fans will be contacted by a ticket representative on a first-come, first-served basis, based on the submission date of their ticket request form, for their opportunity to purchase tickets.

Suncoast Credit Union Arena is located at 13351 FSW Parkway off Summerlin Road in Fort Myers.

It’s almost time to see who will #OwnTheFort this year.

— Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj