Men’s 2019 Paradise Jam Field Announced

– The eight men’s basketball teams selected to compete in the 2019 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam were announced Thursday by tournament directors. Bowling Green, Cincinnati, Fordham, Grand Canyon, Illinois State, Nevada, Valparaiso, and Western Kentucky will compete in the 20th-annual Paradise Jam at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas, Nov. 22-25, 2019.“We’ve got a group of talented teams coming down to the U.S. Virgin Islands next year,” tournament director Jennifer Ashby said. “We are incredibly excited to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Paradise Jam with these basketball programs, and we’re excited to showcase the beauty and joy of the USVI and its people to all of the coaches, student-athletes, and fans.”Nevada, ranked as high as No. 7 in the 2018-19 preseason polls, will headline a group of four teams making their return to the islands. The Wolf Pack competed in the 2014 Paradise Jam, alongside Illinois State, which finished runner-up in the tournament. Valparaiso makes its return to the territory for the first time since 2008. The Fordham Rams also return to St. Thomas, after finishing fifth in the 2005 Paradise Jam.Cincinnati, tabbed to finish second in the American Athletic Conference, will travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the first time, along with Bowling Green, Grand Canyon, and Western Kentucky. The WKU Hilltoppers, who were selected to win Conference USA this season, will plan for similar projections next season for their first arrival to St. Thomas.Nevada and Cincinnati could potentially meet in the Paradise Jam for the first time since the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Wolf Pack beat the Bearcats, 75-73, in the Second Round of the tournament and advanced as far as the Sweet 16.The Sports & Fitness Center on the University of the Virgin Islands campus has been home to the Paradise Jam since its construction in 2001. The 3,000-seat venue features four locker rooms, air conditioning, a custom hardwood floor, a training room, concessions, VIP lounge, media workroom, and ethernet connectivity. Recognized as one of the best facilities of its kind in the Caribbean, the Sports & Fitness Center regularly reaches standing-room capacity throughout the Paradise Jam tournament.Game times and matchups for the 2019 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam will be announced next spring, following the conclusion of the 2018-19 basketball season. For more information about the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, visit www.paradisejam.com.