Bradley & SIU Going to Paradise

Editor: The following is part of a press release from basketballtravelers.com.

(St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands) – The brackets and schedule for the 2021 Paradise Jam have been finalized, tournament officials announced Monday. The men’s tournament will take place November 19-22, followed by the women’s event from November 25-27, with all games played at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.

For the first time ever in the U.S. Virgin Islands the tournament will partner with ESPN, streaming all games on its ESPN3/ESPN+ platforms. The men’s tournament will be an eight-team bracket, with the women’s field being split into two round-robin tournaments. All times are Atlantic Standard Time and are subject to change.

Play will begin with Game 1 on Nov. 19 with Bradley and Colorado State at 2 p.m.  Then in Game 2, Creighton will take on Brown at 4:15 p.m. Finishing the first day is the Game 3 matchup of Duquesne and Northeastern at 6:45 p.m., followed by Game 4 with Colorado facing Southern Illinois at 9 p.m..

Losing teams on day one will play the 20th at 4:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., with the winners getting a day off and playing each other on the 21st at 6:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. in the semifinals. The tournament’s final day on Nov. 22 will feature four more games, with the 7th-place game at 2 p.m., the 4th-place game at 4:15 p.m., the 3rd-place game at 6:45 p.m., and a 9 p.m. tip-off for the championship.

The women’s tournaments will feature four games each day over the three-day stretch.

Fan travel packages will be sold at a later date, with more information coming soon as tournament officials navigate potential COVID-19 safety protocols. For more information leading up to the tournament, check out the Paradise Jam on social media, and our website paradisejam.com.

Editor: In addition to the Bradley and SIU connection, Colorado State is coached by former Drake head coach Niko Medved and Creighton is a former member of the Missouri Valley Conference.