A fast-growing college basketball tournament boasting powerhouse Division 1 programs returns once again to Fort Myers next week.

The Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off gets under way Monday and runs through Wednesday, as schools such as Florida, Ohio State, Cal and Seaton Hall square off in early season play.

Suncoast Credit Union Area on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College will again play host to the field of teams. The tournament has continued to draw top programs since its inception in 2018, and this year, tournament officials have expanded into two divisions: Palms and Beach.

The Beach Division is made up of Ohio State, Florida, Cal and Seaton Hall, while Milwaukee, Bowling Green, Southern Utah and Yale are to participate in the tournament’s Palms Division.

“As we continue to make Southwest Florida a basketball destination during the non-conference season, the evolution of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off is a reflection of not only the strong appetite for basketball in the area, but also the desire for college basketball’s top programs to compete against premier competition in one of the best vacation destinations in the country,” said Mark Starsiak, tournament director of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off, in a statement. “The combination of top-flight basketball talent and the unmatched sunshine and beaches of Southwest Florida will make for a memorable way to tip off the 2021-22 college basketball season. We look forward to welcoming the teams and their fanbases to during Thanksgiving Week.”

The Beach Division boasts a combined 84 NCAA Tournament berths and 127 postseason appearances (NCAA and NIT). Ohio State is sixth all-time with 10 Final Four appearances and accounts for more than half of the 19 combined national semifinal appearances among the field. The Buckeyes and Gators are top-15 nationally in NCAA Tournament games played since 2011 and most recently, the Buckeyes were a No. 2 seed and the Gators a No. 7 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. In addition, Seton Hall is among the Big East’s perennial contenders, having won two conference championships (2020 regular season, 2016 tournament) in the last six seasons. Cal, under the direction of head coach Mark Fox, continues its climb up the Pac-12 standings after his first two seasons at the helm.

Bowling Green, Milwaukee, Southern Utah and Yale feature a pair of recently crowned conference champions — Southern Utah last season and Yale in 2020. Meanwhile, Bowling Green and Milwaukee are both poised for runs at their respective conference titles this coming season. Combined, these programs have combined to win 39 conference championships.

Beach Division teams will open tournament play on Monday, Nov. 22, with Ohio State taking on Seton Hall at 6 p.m. and Florida facing Cal at 8:30 p.m. The four teams will return to the court on Nov. 24, with the third-place game scheduled for 6 p.m. and the championship game set for 8:30 p.m. All four games of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division will be televised nationally on FS1.

The teams of the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms Division begin play on Nov. 23, with Southern Utah facing Yale at noon, followed by Milwaukee squaring off with Bowling Green at 2:30 p.m.

Palms Division games will conclude on Nov. 24, with the third-place game scheduled for 11 a.m., and the championship game set for 1:30 p.m.

Florida head coach Mike White, in a statement said, “We always love the opportunity to play in front of fans around the state of Florida, and the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off features really high-level competition. This will be a great early-season challenge for us, and it’ll also help prepare use for the challenges that lie ahead throughout the season.”

Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann added, “We’re really looking forward to heading to Florida this November for the Rocket Mortgage Fort Myers Tip-Off. This is a really strong field and with two games in three days, it will give our guys an NCAA Tournament environment early in the season.”

Single session tickets begin at $22 and can be secured by visiting the tournament’s website at www.fortmyerstipoff.com or by calling the Suncoast Credit Union Arena Box Office at 239-481-4849. Full tournament tickets for either the Beach or Palms Division are also available.

— Connect with this reporter on Twitter: @haddad_cj