The scene is Destin, Florida — a once quiet fishing community now teeming with retirees from all reaches of the United States and young families escaping middle class life for a week.
What better way to start the Christmas season than with a college basketball tournament in a coastal city in the contiguous US? Well, probably like the Bahamas or Virgin Islands as a location, Maui would also be nice!
The Emerald Coast Classic is a little bit of an Island of Misfit Toys in the early season landscape of college basketball tournaments. Cincinnati and Baylor should’ve been the headliners in theory, but neither program is ranked in the top 25.