Nov. 14, 2006 – This week 16 mainland college basketball teams will face off at Paradise Jam 2006, the remarkably popular annual tournament at UVI's St. Thomas campus.
Starting Friday, 10th-ranked Alabama fronts the men's field, which includes the College of Charleston, Iowa, Middle Tennessee State, Toledo, Villanova, Virginia Commonwealth and Xavier.
The traditionally strong women's tournament starts play Nov. 23 with Auburn, Marquette, Western Michigan, Xavier, Arizona State, Penn State, Rutgers and Western Kentucky.
The men's tournament opens Friday at 2 p.m. with Middle Tennessee State against Alabama, followed by Toledo vs. Iowa at 4:40, Xavier vs. Virginia Commonwealth at 7 and College of Charleston vs. Villanova at 9:30.
The women's tournament opens Nov. 23 with Western Michigan playing Marquette at 4 p.m. and Auburn vs. Xavier at 6:30.
All the games are at UVI's 4,000-seat Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas.
Seats filled early last year as the women's teams thrilled featuring then-national champions Tennessee and ACC powerhouse Maryland.
Women's basketball superstar Jackie Stiles blew the Paradise Jam open in 2000, scoring a tournament-record 42 points in one game while nailing a record 13 of 13 free-throws. That year she also set a two-game record of 80 points.
For the men, Wisconsin's Alando Tucker ran up 38 points against Eastern Kentucky in a dazzling display last year that helped give the Badgers the championship trophy.
For more information on the tournament and exact times of each game, visit the tournament website.
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