Paradise Jam

Paradise Jam

File:Paradise Jam Logo.png Paradise Jam
Sport	College basketball
Founded	2000
Founder	Basketball Travelers, Inc.
No. of teams	8 men's teams, 8 women's teams
Country	United States
Venue(s)	Sports and Fitness Center
Most recent champion(s)	Men Maryland Women Syracuse (Reef) Women Duke (Island)
TV partner(s)	CBS Sports Network, SNY
Official website	Paradise Jam

The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is a preseason college basketball tournament that takes place in late November of each year, with the men usually playing the week before Thanksgiving and the women playing Thanksgiving week. It takes place in St. Thomas at the Sports and Fitness Center. The tournament began in 2000 as a women's tournament. There has been a men's tournament since 2001. The format was originally a six team tournament with teams divided into two groups of three for a round robin competition with group standings deciding the entrants to the fifth place, third place, and championship games. In 2006 the format was changed to a more traditional eight team tournament where all teams play three games with the final day's games determining placement in all positions, first through eighth. La Salle has the most appearances of any team (3).

New Mexico are the defending men's champions, defeating UConn in the final, 66-60. The 2012 Reef Division Women's Champion is South Carolina, while the 2012 Island Division Women's Champion is Connecticut

Past championship games

Men's tournament

University of the Virgin Islands view from campus

Year	Winner	Score	Opponent
2001	Miami	67-65	Clemson
2002	BYU	66-57	St. Bonaventure
2003	Boston College	84-81	Wichita State
2004	Arkansas	82-64	Eastern Michigan
2005	Wisconsin	84-81	Old Dominion
2006	Alabama	63-56	Xavier
2007	Baylor	62-54	Winthrop
2008	UConn	76-57	Wisconsin
2009	Purdue	73-72	Tennessee
2010	Old Dominion	67-58	Xavier
2011	Marquette	59-57	Norfolk State
2012	New Mexico	66-60	UConn
2013	Maryland	56-52	Providence

Women's tournament

Year	Paradise Jam Women's Tournament Champions
2000	Texas Tech
Year	St. Thomas Division	St. John Division	St. Croix Division
2001	Texas	Arizona State	Florida State
Year	St. Thomas Division	St. John Division
2002	South Carolina	Duke
2003	Virginia Tech	Southwest Missouri State
2004	North Carolina State	Rutgers
2005	Minnesota	Tennessee
2006	Championship cancelled‡	Marquette
2007	Connecticut	Wake Forest
Year	Island Division	Reef Division
2008	Wisconsin	California
2009	Notre Dame	Rutgers
2010	Georgetown	West Virginia
2011	Alabama	Michigan
2012	Connecticut	South Carolina
2013	Duke	Syracuse

‡In 2006, the final game was cancelled due to a family tragedy involving a family member of one of the Arizona State players.

Tournament brackets

2014 men

	First Round November 21					Semifinals November 23 CBSSN					Championship November 24 CBSSN
		Clemson	70
		Gardner–Webb	72
							Gardner–Webb	67
							Seton Hall	85
		Seton Hall	68
		Nevada	60
												Seton Hall
												Illinois State
		LSU	61
		Old Dominion	70
							Old Dominion	45
							Illinois State	64
		Illinois State	73
		Weber State	64

	3rd Place game November 24 CBSSN
		Gardner-Webb
		Old Dominion

	Consolation 2nd Round November 22					5th Place Game November 24
		Clemson	59
		Nevada	50
							Clemson
							LSU
		LSU	72
		Weber State	58

	7th Place game November 24
		Nevada
		Weber State

2014 women

The women's tournament will be played from November 27-29. The women's tournament consists of 8 teams split into two 4 team, round robin divisions: Island and Reef.

Island Division:

• Clemson University
• Florida Gulf Coast University
• Ohio State University
• Wichita State University

Reef Division:

• University of Illinois
• University of Kentucky
• University of Oklahoma
• University of South Florida

2013 men

	First Round November 22					Semifinals November 24 CBSSN					Championship November 25 CBSSN
		Northern Iowa	90
		Loyola Marymount	81
							Northern Iowa	66
							Maryland	80
		Marist	43
		Maryland	68
												Maryland	56
												Providence	52
		Providence	67
		Vanderbilt	60
							Providence	71
							La Salle	63
		Morgan State	59
		La Salle	78

	3rd Place game November 25 CBSSN
		Northern Iowa	65
		La Salle	50

	Consolation 2nd Round November 23					5th Place Game November 25
		Loyola Marymount	76
		Marist	70
							Loyola Marymount	68
							Vanderbilt	77
		Vanderbilt	75
		Morgan State	66

	7th Place game November 25
		Marist	67
		Morgan State	74OT

2013 women

The woman's tournament is organized as two divisions of four teams, each playing each other in a round-robin format.

The teams invited for the Island Division in 2013 were:

• Duke University
• Xavier University
• Central Michigan University
• University of Kansas

The teams invited for the Reef Division in 2013 were:

• University of Texas
• Texas A&M University
• Syracuse University
• University of Memphis

Duke beat Xavier 81–54 in the opening round of the Island Division on November 28, 2013. Kansas followed with a 68—63 victory over Central Michigan. The Reef Division teams played in the evening, when Texas A&M defeated Memphis 69–59. In the other match up, Syracuse defeated Texas 75–65.

The following day, Duke struggled early against Central Michigan; down 24–21 in the first half. The Blue Devils then went on an 18–2 run to take a large lead, and cruised to a 97–64 victory. In the other Island Division match-up, Xavier was down 26–20 with a minute to go in the first half, but tied the game at halftime. Kansas again pulled into the lead in the second half, on an 11–2 run to start the half, but Xavier came back to win the game 64–59. In the Reef Division, unranked Texas upset previously unbeaten and 12th ranked Texas A&M. Texas pulled out to a twelve point lead at halftime, and the two teams played roughly even in the second half. Texas's Nneka Enemkpali scored 20 points, hitting seven of her eight field goal attempts and six of her eight free throw attempts. In the other Reef Division game, Syracuse pulled out to a 15 point halftime lead against Memphis, and extended the lead in the second half to remain undefeated with a 77–58 win.

On the final day of the tournament, Central Mich beat Xavier 88—62 in the Island Division. In the other match-up, Duke held only a nine point lead at halftime, but pulled away to win by 33 points, 73–40. With an undefeated record, Duke won the Tournament title for the Island Division. In the Reef Division, Texas easily beat Memphis, 65–36 to go 2–1 in the tournament. Syracuse played 12th ranked Texas A&M in the other game. The Aggies led by six early in the game, but Syracuse took over and led by nine at halftime. They pulled out to a large lead in the second half. Texas A&M cut the lead back to single digits, but were unable to re-take the lead. Syracuse on the game 78–63 and won the Championship of the Reef Division.

2012 men

New Mexico's Demetrius Walker drives against UConn's Enosch Wolf at the 2012 Paradise Jam Championship game

The 2012 Paradise Jam featured some close games. ESPN predicted that UConn would face New Mexico in the finals, which did happen, but the results were far from ordained. In the first round, the largest victory was a seven point win by New Mexico over the University of Illinois at Chicago. Connecticut beat Wake Forest by six, While George Mason,behind at the half, came back to win by three points over Mercer. However, the Quinnipiac - Iona game was tied at the half, and tied at the end of regulation. Despite scoring 13 points in overtime, Iona fell to Quinnipiac.

In the second round, the games were even closer. George Mason held a five-point lead over New Mexico with twelve seconds left, when the Lobos hit a three pointer, then stole the ball and hit another three pointer with under two seconds to play, to win by a single point. In the other match up, between two teams from the same state, UConn was down by double-digits with five minutes to go, yet the game went to double-overtime before UConn won in the second overtime. In the title game, UConn came from nine points down to take a brief two-point lead with just over two minutes to go, but gave up nine straight points, and ended up with the loss 66–60. The Lobos hit all 21 of their free throw attempts in the game and went on to win the 2012 Paradise Jam Championship.

	First Round November 16					Semifinals November 18 CBSSN					Championship November 19 CBSSN
		Mercer	49
		George Mason	52
							George Mason	69
							New Mexico	70
		UIC	59
		New Mexico	66
												New Mexico	66
												Connecticut	60
		Wake Forest	71
	23	Connecticut	77
						23	Connecticut	892OT
							Quinnipiac	83
		Quinnipiac	98OT
		Iona	92

	3rd Place game November 19 CBSSN
		George Mason	74
		Quinnipiac	58

	Consolation 2nd Round November 17					5th Place Game November 19
		Mercer	36
		UIC	62
							UIC	86
							Iona	81
		Wake Forest	68
		Iona	94

	7th Place game November 19
		Mercer	71
		Wake Forest	74

2012 women

Geno Auriemma at 2012 Paradise Jam making a point

The woman's tournament is organized as two divisions of four teams, each playing each other in a round-robin format. This format is chosen because the invitees occasionally include more than one team from a conference. Teams are not allowed to play each other from the same conference outside of scheduled conference play. A traditional playoff format, where winners player winners, and losers go into a losers bracket allows any two team an opportunity to play each other, This format is not suitable when there are multiple teams from the same conference.

The teams invited for the Island Division in 2012 were:

• University of Connecticut
• Wake Forest University
• Marist College
• Purdue University

The teams invited for the Reef Division in 2012 were:

• DePaul University
• Florida Gulf Coast University
• Hampton University
• University of South Carolina

The first round games were held on Thanksgiving Day 22 November, while the second and third round games were held on Friday and Saturday, the 23rd and 24th.

South Carolina's Ieasia Walker drives to the basket against DePaul's Brittany Hrynko, while Blue Demon coach Doug Bruno watches at the 2012 Paradise Jam Tournament

In the Reef Division, DePaul was involved in two of the closest games. In their Thanksgiving match up with Florida Gulf Coast University, despite twelve point leads in the first half, the Eagles were within one point at halftime. They briefly held a lead in the second half, but were behind by eight points with just over two minutes to go. They climbed back to within two, but could not take the lead, and lost 60–58. In their next game against Hampton, the Blue Demons fell behind by 13 with 14 minutes to go. They tied up the game with just over a minute to go. No one scored until the final seconds, when Anna Martin was fouled with three seconds to go in the game. She missed the first free throw, but hit the second, to secure the win for DePaul, 68–67.

South Carolina won their first game against Hampton 45–34, and their second against Florida Gulf Coast 65–46, setting up the deciding game between the two 2–0 teams. South Carolina went on to win the game 55–46, which won the Reef Division championship. South Carolina's Aleighsa Welch was named the Reef Division Tournament MVP.

In the Island Division, the results were dominated by Connecticut. The UConn team faced Wake Forest on Thanksgiving, and won easily 95–64. Their next match up was against Marist; while the result was closer, it was still a 42 point victory 81–39. The 14th (AP) ranked Purdue also won their first two games, beatings Marist by twenty, and then Wake Forest by fourteen.

Connecticut and Purdue were both 2–0 when they faced on Saturday. The result wasn't close, as UConn won 91–57 to win the Paradise Jam Island Division Championship. UConn freshman Breanna Stewart was named the tournament MVP, the first time a freshman had own the award other than UConn's Maya Moore in the 2007 Tournament.

2011 men

Marquette's Derrick Wilson drives against Norfolk State's Jamel Fuentes while Rashid Gaston trails at the 2011 Paradise Jam Tournament

Marquette had an easy path to the final game, then were tested. In the opening round, Marquette took on Winthrop, and won easily 95–73, while Norfolk State beat Drexel by five points, 61–56. In the semifinal round, Marquette again won easily, beating Ole Miss 96–66, while Norfolk State beat TCU 66–53 to set up the final. Marquette had played Norfolk State just a week earlier in Milwaukee, in a game that was never in doubt. Marquette opened up a 6–0 lead, expanded the lead to eleven by halftime, then scored 59 points in the second half to win the game 99–68.

When the two teams met in the Paradise Jam final, the game started out similarly to the early game, with Marquette never trailing, and reaching a nine-point lead at halftime. However, instead of scoring 59 points in the second half, they would score only 59 points in the game. The Golden Eagles, ranked 16th in the AP poll, held a 14-point lead at one time, but Norfolk State had two 7–0 runs and tied up the game at 57 points apiece with just over two minutes left. Marquette scored to take a lead; Norfolk State had a chance to tie in the closing seconds but failed to hit the basket, and Marquette won the 2011 Paradise Jam Championship 59–57.

	First Round November 18					Semifinals November 20					Championship November 21
		Norfolk State	61
		Drexel	56
							Norfolk State	66
							TCU	53
		TCU	57
		Virginia	55
												Norfolk State	57
											16	Marquette	59
		Drake	59
		Ole Miss	63
							Ole Miss	66
						21	Marquette	96
		Winthrop	73
	21	Marquette	95

	3rd Place game November 21
		TCU	69
		Ole Miss	80

	Consolation 2nd Round November 19					5th Place Game November 21
		Drexel	35
		Virginia	49
							Virginia	60
							Drake	52
		Drake	66
		Winthrop	62

	7th Place game November 21
		Drexel	68
		Winthrop	45

2011 women

Michigan team with championship trophy at the 2011 Paradise Jam Tournament

The woman's tournament is organized as two divisions of four teams, each playing each other in a round-robin format.

The teams invited for the Island Division in 2011 were:

• University of Alabama
• Seton Hall University
• Louisiana Tech
• Old Dominion University

Both Alabama and Seton Hall ended with records of 2–1. Based upon the tie breaker, Alabama beat Seton Hall in their match up, so was named the Paradise Jam Championship (Island Division) Alabama's Ericka Russell was named tournament MVP.

The teams invited for the Reef Division in 2011 were:

• University of Michigan
• Washington State University
• Marquette University
• Prairie View A&M

Michigan won all three of their games to capture the Paradise Jam Championship (Reef Division). Michigan's Courtney Boylan was named tournament MVP.

2010 men

	First Round November 19					Semifinals November 20					Championship November 21
		Saint Peter's	52
		Old Dominion	59
							Old Dominion	61
							Clemson	60
		Long Beach State	55
		Clemson	69
												Old Dominion	67
												Xavier	58
		Alabama	78
		Seton Hall	83
							Seton Hall	52
							Xavier	57
		Iowa	73
		Xavier	86

	3rd Place game November 22
		Clemson	64
		Seton Hall	58

	Consolation 2nd Round November 20					5th Place Game November 22
		Saint Peter's	56
		Long Beach State	68
							Long Beach State	78
							Iowa	72
		Alabama	47
		Iowa	55

	7th Place game November 22
		Saint Peter's	50
		Alabama	49

2010 women

Georgetown's Sugar Rodgers shoots over Tennessee's Shekinna Stricklen at the 2010 Paradise Jam

The woman's tournament is organized as two divisions of four teams, each playing each other in a round-robin format.

The teams invited for the Island Division in 2010 were:

• University of Tennessee
• Georgetown University
• University of Missouri
• Georgia Tech University

On Thanksgiving, Tennessee beat Missouri 82–44, while Georgetown beat Georgia Tech 67–58. The next day, 12th ranked (AP) Georgetown lost to unranked Missouri 54–45, while Tennessee beat Georgia Tech 66–42. On the final day of the tournament, Georgia Tech beat Missouri, 61–46.

The other final game matched up Georgetown, with a 1–1 record, against Tennessee, who were ranked 4th in the AP rankings. Georgetown's Sugar Rogers, who has not played particularly well in the first two game of the tournament, had 28 points to help lead her team to an upset victory over Tennessee. The Hoyas opened up with an 11–4 run and never trailed. Tennessee out rebounded Georgetown 42—24, but committed 29 turnovers. Both teams shot about 40% from the field, but the Hoyas had an advantage beyond the arc, hitting 10 of their 18 three point attempts, while the Volunteers hit only three of 18 attempts. The two team ended with 2–1 records, but with the head-to-head tie breaker, Georgetown was awarded the Championship of the Paradise Jam, Island Division.

The teams invited for the Reef Division in 2010 were:

• University of West Virginia
• Iowa State University
• University of Virginia
• Texas Christian University

West Virginia beat Texas Christian University on Thanksgiving 62–49, then beat Virginia 57–43, and on Saturday, beat 17th ranked Iowa State to go 3–0 in the tournament, and win the Reef Division Championship.

2009 men

	First Round November 20					Semifinals November 22					Championship November 23
		DePaul	60
		Northern Iowa	52
							DePaul	53
						11	Tennessee	57
		East Carolina	66
	11	Tennessee	105
											11	Tennessee	72
											6	Purdue	73
		Saint Joseph's	84
		Boston College	80
							Saint Joseph's	60
						7	Purdue	85
		South Dakota State	63
	7	Purdue	74

	3rd Place game November 23
		DePaul	58
		Saint Joseph's	51

	Consolation 2nd Round November 21					5th Place Game November 23
		Northern Iowa	74
		East Carolina	68
							Northern Iowa	81
							Boston College	69
		Boston College	75
		South Dakota State	58

	7th Place game November 23
		South Dakota State	73
		East Carolina	82

2009 women

The woman's tournament is organized as two divisions of four teams, each playing each other in a round-robin format.

The teams invited for the Island Division in 2009 were:

• University of Notre Dame
• University of Oklahoma
• University of South Carolina
• San Diego State University

In the opening round, 20th ranked (AP) Oklahoma faced South Carolina. The Sooners opened up a 20-point lead in the first half which South Carolina cut to two points part way through the second half. Oklahoma then ran off nine consecutive points to expand the lead back to double digits, and went on to win 75–67. The other match up featured two top 25 team, Notre Dame, ranked 5th (AP) and San Diego State, ranked 23rd (AP). The Irish held a 21-point lead in the first half, which was still 15 points at halftime. The Aztecs continued to chip away at the lead and cut the margin to two points with under 30 seconds to go in the game However, Brittany Mallory connected on three of four free throws in the final seconds to secure the win, 84–79. The win was the 500th of Notre Dame's head coach Muffet McGraw

On the following day, Notre Dame played South Carolina and won 78–55. Oklahoma faced San Diego State, and opened up a 47–15 halftime lead, then cruised to a win with a score of 87–48. On the final day, the two 2–0 teams faced each other for the championship. Although the Irish had an eight-point halftime lead, Oklahoma came back to take a three-point lead near the midpoint of the second half. Then Notre Dame scored 20 consecutive points to take a commanding lead, and ended up winning the 2009 Paradise Jam Championship 81–71. Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins was named the tournament MVP.

The teams invited for the Reef Division in 2009 were:

• Rutgers University
• University of Southern California
• University of Texas at Austin
• Mississippi State University

In the opening round, Rutgers beat Southern California 66–51, while Texas beat Mississippi State 73–55. The following day Rutgers beat Mississippi State 62–54 while Southern California beat Texas 61–54. On the final day, Rutgers, with a 2–0 record had a chance to win the tournament outright. They lost to Texas 70–67, because they had beaten Southern California, who also ended with a 2–1 after a win against Mississippi State, they were crowned the 2009 Paradise Jam Champions (Reef Division).

2008 men

Connecticut Team photo 2008, Paradise Jam Tournament winner

The 2008 Paradise Jam featured three ranked teams, with Miami ranked 16th in the ESPN/USA poll, Wisconsin ranked 22nd, and Connecticut ranked second. In the first round, Wisconsin took on unranked Iona, and won, but by only two points 60–58. Miami faced unranked Southern Miss and won by ten, 70–50. Connecticut played LaSalle and Connecticut won 89–81; with A.J. Price returning to play after an ankle injury, but still suffering from an abscessed tooth.

In the second round, Connecticut faced Miami, but won by 13 points, 76–63. Wisconsin faced San Diego, the winner of the first round game against Valparaiso, and won 64–49. In the championship game UConn faced Wisconsin, but opened up a ten-point lead by halftime, and extended it to a 19 point victory at the end of the game, with a final score of 76–57. Jerome Dyson was the leading scorer for Connecticut, while Hasheem Thabeet earned the Tournament MVP honors.

• November 21–24: St. Thomas

	First Round					Semifinals					Championship
		Southern Miss	60
	16	Miami	70
							Miami	63
							Connecticut	76
		La Salle	81
	2	Connecticut	89
												Connecticut	76
												Wisconsin	57
		San Diego	73
		Valparaiso	66
							San Diego	49
							Wisconsin	64
		Iona	58
	22	Wisconsin	60

	3rd Place game
		Miami	80
		San Diego	45

	Consolation 2nd Round					5th Place Game
		Southern Miss	76
		La Salle	72
							Southern Miss	64
							Iona	63
		Valparaiso	55
		Iona	75

	7th Place game
		La Salle	75
		Valparaiso	70

2008 women

California Team photo 2008, Paradise Jam Tournament winner

The woman's tournament is organized as two divisions of four teams, each playing each other in a round-robin format.

The teams invited for the Island Division in 2008 were:

• Villanova University
• University of Wisconsin
• University of Central Florida
• Baylor University

In the opening round, Wisconsin won a two-point game over Villanova, 47–45, while 7th ranked Baylor beat Central Florida 79–67. In the second round, Wisconsin improved to 2–0 with a 65–61 victory over Central Florida, as well as Baylor who beat Villanova 62–57. Baylor had a 21–2 run early in the game to take a large lead, and the Bears still held a 16-point lead at halftime. The Wildcats cut the lead to three with just over two minutes left in the game, but Baylor hit five of six free throws to hold on to the victory 52–57.

On the final day, Villanova beat Central Florida to finish in third place. In the championship game, the two undefeated teams faced each other. Unranked Wisconsin was down by six points at halftime, and Baylor still lead by five points with under three minutes to go when Wisconsin scored six straight points to take the lead, ending with a two point jump shot with seven seconds left in the game by Alyssa Karel. Baylor had one last shot; Melissa Jones was fouled at the buzzer, but missed both free throws to secure the Paradise Jam Championship (Island) for Wisconsin. Wisconsin's Alyssa Karel won the tournament MVP award.

The teams invited for the Reef Division in 2008 were:

• Texas Tech University
• University of Iowa
• University of South Florida
• University of California, Berkeley

In the first round Iowa played Texas Tech. The halftime margin was two points in favor of Iowa, and they extended the lead to win the game 56–48. In the other game 3rd ranked California took on South Florida and won easily, 85–55. In the second round South Florida took Iowa to overtime, then won 82–79 in overtime. California played Texas Tech and won 68–54.

On the final day, South Florida beat Texas Tech to earn second place in the division with a 2–1 record. California easily beat Iowa 76–43 to go undefeated and win the 2008 Paradise Jam Championship (Reef) California's Ashley Walker won the Tournament MVP.

2007 men

Baylor Team Photo 2007, Paradise Jam Tournament winner

• November 16–19: St. Thomas

	First Round					Semifinals					Championship
		Charlotte	77
		Georgia Tech	82
							Georgia Tech	73
							Winthrop	79
		UIC	58
		Winthrop	72
												Winthrop	54
												Baylor	62
		Baylor	64
		Wichita State	55
							Baylor	68
							Notre Dame	64
		Monmouth	33
		Notre Dame	76

	3rd Place game
		Georgia Tech	70
		Notre Dame	69

	Consolation 2nd Round					5th Place Game
		Charlotte	64
		UIC	63
							Charlotte	56
							Monmouth	58
		Wichita State	50
		Monmouth	59

	7th Place game
		UIC	60
		Wichita State	67

2007 women

UConn team photo 2007, Paradise Jam Tournament winner

In 2007, the Tournament consisted of one division with four teams, and another division with six teams. The St. John division, with four teams, played a round robin, with each team playing each other on the 22nd, 23rd and 24 November. The St. Thomas division was organized into two sub-divisions, Reef and Island. Three teams were assigned to each, and they played each other in a round robin, with one off day. The results were used to seed the teams, and on the 25th of November, championship games, as well as games for third and fifth place were played.

The teams invited for the St. Thomas Division in 2007 were:

• Reef Division
  • Purdue University
  • Duke University
  • Temple University
• Island Division
  • University of Connecticut
  • Stanford University
  • Old Dominion University

In the opening rounds, Duke beat Purdue and Temple to go 2–0 in the Reef division, while Connecticut beat Stanford and ODU to go 2–0 in the Island division. The match up between Stanford and Connecticut involved two of the top teams in the nation, with Stanford ranked 4th and UConn 2nd in the nation. The Huskies started out strong, opening up a 22–8 lead and went on to win 66–54. Freshman Maya Moore was the leading scorer with 19 points.

The Duke-Purdue match up also featured two top 25 teams with Duke ranked 8th and Purdue 20th. Duke held Purdue to 29% shooting and won the game 53–41.

The Championship game matched up the two 2–0 teams, Duke and Connecticut. UConn pulled out to a 16-point lead by halftime, and extended the lead by another ten points in the second half. This was the first meeting between the two team since the prior year, when Duke won in overtime in the regional final to deny Connecticut a trip to the Final Four.

The teams invited for the St. John Division in 2007 were:

• Wichita State University
• Indiana University
• Texas A&M University
• Wake Forest University

In the opening round Wake Forest beat Indiana 55–53, while Texas A&M beat Wichita State 70–36. In the second round Indiana beat Wichita State 64 015054, while Wake Forest beat Texas A&M 53–46.

On the final day, Wake Forest beat Wichita State 54–47 to finish with a 3–0 record and win the 2007 Paradise Jam Championship (St. John). Texas A&M beat Indiana 60–48 to earn the third place finish.

2006 men

Alabama team photo 2006,Paradise Jam Tournament winner

Alabama faced Middle Tennessee in their first contest. Jermareo Davidson, the starting center for Alabama, was not with the team, due to the death of his girlfriend the prior week. Despite missing one of their top players, the Crimson Tide still won 71–62. After a day off, Alabama faced Iowa. Alabama had only a one-point lead at halftime, but out scored Iowa by eleven in the second half to win the game 72–60. That win placed the Crimson Tide in the Championship game against Xavier, who had defeated Charleston and Villanova to also reach the finals. The game started as a repeat of the Alabama game against Iowa, with exactly the same halftime score or 32–31. The second half of the final game would be tougher, but Alabama out scored Xavier, and won the Championship trophy with a score of 63–56. Alabama's Alonzo Gee was awarded Tournament MVP honors.

• November 17–20: St. Thomas

	First Round					Semifinals					Championship
		Middle Tennessee	62
		Alabama	71
							Alabama	72
							Iowa	60
		Toledo	65
		Iowa	78
												Alabama	63
												Xavier	56
		Xavier	70
		VCU	67
							Xavier	71
							Villanova	66
		College of Charleston	68
		Villanova	81

	3rd Place game
		Iowa	60
		Villanova	89

	Consolation 2nd Round					5th Place Game
		Middle Tennessee	69
		Toledo	75
							Toledo	60
							VCU	59
		VCU	71
		C of C	59

	7th Place game
		Middle Tennessee	56
		C of C	64

2006 women

Marquette Team Photo 2006, Paradise Jam Tournament winner

In 2006, the Tournament consisted of two division with four teams each. The St. John division, played a round robin, with each team playing each other on the 23rd, 24th and 25 November. The St. Thomas division was organized into traditional playoff rounds.

The teams invited for the St. Thomas Division in 2006 were:

• Western Kentucky University
• Penn State University
• Arizona State University
• Rutgers University

In the opening round, Arizona State beat Western Kentucky 67–63, while Rutgers beat Penn State 57–44. Arizona State was scheduled to play Rutgers, however, due to a family tragedy involving an Arizona State players family member, the game was cancelled. Western Kentucky beat Penn State 74–64 to earn the third place position.

The teams invited for the St. John Division in 2006 were:

• Western Michigan University
• Xavier University
• Auburn University
• Marquette University

In the opening round Marquette defeated Western Michigan 74–61, while Xavier defeated Auburn 75–64. In the second round Marquette defeated Auburn 65–61, while Xavier defeated Western Michigan 69–62.

On the final day, Marquette beat Xavier 73–53 to finish with a 3–0 record and win the 2006 Paradise Jam Championship (St. John). Xavier earned the second place position, while Auburn earned the third place finish.

2005

• November 18–21: St. Thomas/St. John

Saint John Division
-Old Dominion 74, Georgia 65
-Old Dominion 65, Fordham 52
-Georgia 78, Fordham 69

Saint Thomas Division
-Wisconsin 80, Norfolk State 51
-Wisconsin 95, Eastern Kentucky 89
-Eastern Kentucky 67, Norfolk State 60

Championship Round

Consolation 5th Place: Fordham 72, Norfolk State 53
Consolation 3rd Place: Georgia 76, Eastern Kentucky 68
Championship: Wisconsin 84, Old Dominion 81

2004

In 2004, six teams participated in the tournaments. The teams were arranged into two divisions of three teams each. The three teams in each division played a rounds robin over the first three days, with each team having one day off. The teams were seed, and all six teams played on the final day, with a Championship Game, a game for third place and a game for fifth place

The teams invited for the St. Thomas Division in 2004 were:

• Winthrop University
• University of Arkansas
• Troy University

In the first round, held November 19, 2004, Winthrop faced Arkansas. The game was close at halftime, with Arkansas holding a three point margin. In the second half, the Razorbacks out scored Winthrop by 20 to win the game 72–49. Arkansas hit 11 of their 17 three point attempt for a shooting percentage of 65%.

In the second round, held November 20, Winthrop faced Troy. Winthrop held a three-point lead at halftime, and extended the lead in the second half to win 89–80.

In the third round, held November 21, Arkansas faced Troy. Arkansas pulled out to a seven-point lead in the first half, and outscored Troy by 28 in the second half, to win the game 89–54.

The teams invited for the St. John Division in 2004 were:

• Austin Peay State University
• Saint Louis University
• Eastern Michigan University

In the first round, Austin Peay faced Saint Louis. Austin Peay led most of the way, but Saint Louis took a lead in the final two minutes. The Billikens were up by three in the closing seconds, but Austin Peay's Maurice Hampton hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to send the game into overtime. Austin Peay outscored Saint Louis 8–1 in the overtime period to win the game.

In the second round, Austin Peay faced Eastern Michigan. Although the score was close at halftime, with Eastern Michigan holding only a two-point lead, the margin widened in the second half, and Eastern Michigan won by 14 points, 73–59.

In the third round, Saint Louis faced Eastern Michigan. Saint Louis led early, with a five point halftime lead, but Eastern Michigan outscored the Billikens in the second half by eight, and won the game 61–58.

Championship round

In the game for fifth place, Saint Louis faced Troy. The game was tied at 32 points each at halftime, but the Billikens outscored Troy by eight in the second half to win the game and fifth place position, 63–55.

Winthrop played Austin Peay for the third place position. Winthrop built a nine-point lead in the first half, then opened the second half with a 15–4 run, and won the game, 52–36.

In the Championship game, Arkansas squared off against Eastern Michigan. Arkansas built a 17-point lead in the first half. While Eastern Michigan played the Razorbacks almost even in the second half, they were unable to close the gap, and Arkansas won the Paradise Jam Championship 82–63. Arkansas' Ronnie Brewer was selected as the Tournament Most Valuable Player.

2003

In 2003, six teams participated in the tournaments. The teams were arranged into two divisions of three teams each. The three teams in each division played a rounds robin over the first three days, with each team having one day off. Then the teams were seeded, and all six teams played on the final day, with a Championship Game, a game for third place and a game for fifth place

The teams invited for the St. Thomas Division in 2003 were:

• Boston College
• Appalachian State University
• Monmouth University

In the first round, held November 21, 2003, Monmouth faced Appalachian State. The game was close at halftime, with Monmouth holding a four point margin. In the second half, each team scored 36, so Monmouth won the game by four points, 69–65.

In the second round, held November 22, Appalachian State played Boston College. The Eagles out scored Appalachian State by eleven in the first half and extended the lead in the second half, ending up with a 25 point win, 92–67.

In the third round, held November 23, Boston College faced Monmouth. Boston College out scored Monmouth by ten in the first half, holding Month to 15 points. Monmouth scored 35 in the second half, but that was matched by Boston College so the final score remained a ten point margin in favor of Boston College, 60–50.

The teams invited for the St. John Division in 2003 were:

• Wichita State University
• La Salle University
• Hampton University

In the first round, Wichita State faced La Salle. Wichita State held a four-point lead at halftime. La Salle out scored Wichita State in th second half, but only by one point, so Wichita State won by three points 74–71.

In the second round, Hampton faced La Salle. Hampton lead at halftime, and extended the lead to ten points, but the Explorers cut the lead, and it took four free throws by the Pirates in the final 21 seconds to preserve the win.

In the third round, Wichita State faced Hampton. There were several lead changes in the first half, which closed with a five lead by Wichita State. The second half remained close, and the Hampton Pirate cut the lead to a single point with 13 seconds left in the game. After Wichita State hit one of two free throws, Hampton attempted to score, but the ball was tied up, and the possession arrow was in favor of Wichita State. Hampton fouled Fridge Holman who hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to three points. Hampton attempted a three pointer in the final seconds, but it failed to score, so Wichita State won 68–65.

Championship round

The final games were held Monday, November 24, 2003.

In the game for fifth place, Appalachian State faced La Salle. The game was close at halftime with Appalachian State holding a two-point lead. They extended the lead in the second, and ended up with an eleven point victory, 59–48.

Monmouth played Hampton for the third place position. Monmouth had a 21–0 run in the second half, over a period of twelve minutes. However, the two teams were tied at the end of regulation, and at the end of the first overtime. In the second overtime, Monmouth out scored Hampton by twelve to end up with the win 64–52.

In the Championship game, Boston College squared off against Wichita State. Boston College built up an eleven-point lead in the first half, but Wichita State cut the margin to two by halftime. The second half remained close, but Jermaine Watson hit 11 of 12 free throws, including the final eight points to help Boston College to the Championship win, 84–81. Boston College's Craig Smith was name the Tournament Most Valuable Player.

2002

• November 22–25: St. Thomas/St. John

Saint John Division
-Saint Bonaventure 91, Virginia Tech 78
-Saint Bonaventure 65, Michigan 53
-Virginia Tech 65, Michigan 53

Saint Thomas Division
-Brigham Young 71, Toledo 56
-Brigham Young 73, Kansas State 64
-Toldeo 58, Kansas State 50

Championship Round

Consolation 5th Place: Kansas State 82, Michigan 71
Consolation 3rd Place: Virginia Tech 58, Toledo 45
Championship: Brigam Young 66, Saint Bonaventure 57

2001

• November 17–20: St. Thomas/St. John

Saint John Division
-Clemson 70, Morris Brown 57
-La Salle 63, Morris Brown 49
-Clemson 81, La Salle 69

Saint Thomas Division
-UAB 79, Eastern Michigan 66
-Miami (FL) 93, Eastern Michigan 56
-Miami (FL) 81, UAB 79

Championship Round

Consolation 5th Place: Eastern Michigan 67, Morris Brown 55
Consolation 3rd Place: La Salle 63, UAB 58
Championship: Miami (FL) 67, Clemson 65

See also

• 2009 US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (women)

External links

• Official site of the U.S. Virgin Island Paradise Jam Tournament