Tennessee women's basketball will spend Thanksgiving weekend in Southwest Florida, taking on Florida Gulf Coast University for the first time ever as part of the 2026 Coconut Hoops Tournament at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. The Lady Vols tip off against the host Eagles on Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m. ET, kicking off a seven-team event that runs through Nov. 29.
According to WVLT, tournament promoter bdG Sports announced Tennessee's participation in the 14th-annual event, a seven-team field that also includes FGCU, Houston, Creighton, Oklahoma State, Washington, and UMass, per Oklahoma State Athletics. Games will be played inside the 4,633-seat Alico Arena, the station reports, with tickets going on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET and fan travel packages with preferred resort rates also available.
Head coach Kim Caldwell, entering her third season leading the program, said Tennessee is looking forward to competing in Coconut Hoops and facing well-coached programs, per the station's report. FGCU brings its own pedigree to the matchup, having captured 15 regular-season conference titles, though Raina Harmon, appointed FGCU head coach in April 2025, is entering her second season leading the program. Harmon spent eight seasons as an Iowa assistant, helping develop the 2024 AP and Naismith Player of the Year, according to FGCU360.
A Winner-Take-All Path Through Sunday
If Tennessee wins its Nov. 27 opener, the Lady Vols advance to the championship game at 6:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 29; a loss sends them to the 4 p.m. ET consolation contest that same day, per the same WVLT report. Either way, Tennessee will face either Houston or Creighton for the first time in program history, since neither prospective Sunday opponent has ever met the Lady Vols on the court.
A potential matchup with Houston would carry a personal thread for Houston head coach Matthew Mitchell, who spent 1999-2000 as a Tennessee graduate assistant before going on to lead Kentucky for 13 seasons from 2007 to 2020, according to the station's report. Creighton, meanwhile, would be led by head coach Jim Flanery, per Creighton Athletics.
Tournament History
Coconut Hoops traces its roots to 2013, when it launched as the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena in Estero before rebranding and relocating to FGCU's Alico Arena for the 2025 event, according to Wikipedia's tournament history.
Oklahoma State is among the teams in the seven-team Coconut Hoops field.
Part of a Loaded Non-Conference Slate
The Fort Myers trip falls at a pivotal spot on Tennessee's calendar. The Lady Vols open the season at home against Duquesne inside Food City Center on Nov. 2, then face UCLA at home before heading to Coconut Hoops, according to WVLT. Tennessee's schedule also includes a road game at Virginia Tech, per Rocky Top Insider.
Caldwell led Tennessee to a 24-10 record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in her 2024-25 debut season, earning a contract extension through March 2030, according to University of Tennessee Athletics. Broadcast and streaming details for the Coconut Hoops event have not yet been announced, per WVLT's report.
