Georgia Tech basketball to face DePaul in Emerald Coast Classic

Yellow Jackets part of four-team field for November tournament in Niceville, Florida.

Georgia Tech guard Jaeden Mustaf (3) drives against Stanford guard Benny Gealer (5) during the first half at McCamish Pavilion, Wednesday, February, 12, 2024, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz / AJC)

By Chad Bishop

June 11, 2025

Georgia Tech will play in the Emerald Coast Classic as part of its nonconference schedule in 2025-26.

The Yellow Jackets are part of a field that includes DePaul, Drake and LSU for the Nov. 28-29 event at Raider Arena on the campus of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida.

Tech is scheduled to face DePaul at 7 p.m. Nov. 28 while Drake will play LSU at 9:30 p.m. The third-place game is scheduled for 4 p.m. Nov. 29, with the championship game scheduled for 7 p.m.

Both the semifinals, as well as the championship game, will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

Tech, under coach Damon Stoudamire, posted a 17-17 record last season and played in the NIT, where it lost at home to Jacksonville State.

DePaul competed in the first round of the 2025 College Basketball Crown, marking the school’s first appearance in a postseason tournament since the 2018-19 season.

LSU will be making its second appearance in the Emerald Coast Classic, claiming the 2021 title after beating Wake Forest in the championship. Drake is coming off a school-record 31-4 mark, sweeping the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles along with a trip to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Tech and DePaul have split four meetings, last meeting in the first round of the 1991 NCAA Midwest Regional in Dayton, Ohio, with the Jackets taking an 87-70 victory. The Jackets are 14-22 all-time against LSU, with the Tigers winning the last meeting in the 2021 Holiday Hoopsgiving event at State Farm Arena.

Tech and Drake have never met.

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