FARMVILLE, Va. – Fresh off their second Big South Championship in three seasons, Longwood men’s basketball will take part in the 25th annual Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands from November 22-25.
The Lancers will take on UAB on Friday, Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m. to open the illustrious tournament in a matchup of two NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
The Paradise Jam has featured a who’s who of college basketball elites throughout its 25 years of play, and Longwood can add its name to the list. Past champions of the multi-team event have included UConn, Baylor, Purdue, Maryland, Seton Hall, Kansas State, Colorado, Creighton and more.
This year, the Lancers are part of an eight-team field that boasts three conference champions from a season ago and four teams that were in either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.. All eight teams finished in the top 190 of the NCAA Net Rankings a season ago, and five teams were inside the top 150.
“We are thrilled to be invited to join the Paradise Jam—one of the premier non-conference tournaments in the country,” said Longwood Head Coach Griff Aldrich. “This tournament will not only offer our guys the opportunity to compete against top tier competition but further strengthens the Longwood Basketball brand as a nationally recognized mid-major program.”
Longwood will chase the Paradise Jam title against a field of Kansas State, Liberty, UAB, McNeese State, George Washington, Louisiana and Illinois State.
For the Lancers, it continues the program’s explosive growth under Aldrich. Longwood has won at least 20 games in back-to-back-to-back seasons for the first time in team history, and the team’s 67 wins in that time frame are the most in a three-year span.
Twice, the team has won the Big South Championship, and the Lancers are one of 24 mid-major teams to make multiple trips to the NCAA Tournament in that span.
#GoWood #HorsePower
