April 16, 2010
- Coach McCaffery Press Conference Photo Gallery
- Coach McCaffery Pep Rally
- Watch: McCaffery Press Conference
- What they’re saying about Fran McCaffery
- Watch: McCaffery Discusses Iowa
- Watch: McCaffery on BTN
- Register for ticket information online
IOWA CITY, IA – It was announced today that the University of Iowa men’s basketball team will play Xavier Friday, Nov. 19 in the first round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam at University of the Virgin Islands. Along with Iowa and Xavier, the eight-team field also includes Alabama, Seton Hall, Clemson, Long Beach State, Old Dominion and Saint Peter’s. The tournament begins Nov. 19 and concludes with the championship game, Nov. 22. All games are played at University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas.
Iowa and Xavier will meet at 7:30 p.m. (CST) in the fourth and last game of the first round. The winner will face the winner of the Alabama-Seton Hall game Sunday, Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m. (CST). The losers of those two first round games will meet Saturday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. (CST). All four final round games will be played, Nov. 22.
“We’re excited Iowa plays in such a strong tournament as the Paradise Jam,” said Head Coach Fran McCaffery. “Playing three straight games against quality opponents will be a challenge for our young basketball team. This tournament adds to the strength of our overall schedule and will give us a sense of where we are early in the season.”
The 2010 Paradise Jam marks the 11th year of the tournament. Three of this year’s tournament participants, Xavier, Clemson and Old Dominion earned NCAA berths last March. Xavier posted a 26-9 record last season and advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Kansas State (101-96) in double overtime. The Musketeers tied Temple for first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with identical 14-2 league records. Xavier finished the 2009-10 campaign ranked 14th in the country, according to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.
Iowa and Xavier have played each other only once before. The Hawkeyes won that meeting (33-28) on Dec. 20, 1937.
The tournament includes a record number five schools returning to the island for the Paradise Jam. Three teams return from the 2006 field: Alabama (Champion), Xavier (runner-up) and Iowa (fifth place). Old Dominion (2005) and Clemson (2001) both finished second in their respective brackets.
In 2006, the Hawkeyes beat Toledo in the first round (78-65), but then lost to Alabama (72-60) and Villanova (89-60). New Hawkeye Assistant Coach Andrew Francis was on Villanova’s staff when Iowa lost to the Wildcats in St. Thomas.
Purdue edged Tennessee in the final seconds for the 2009 Paradise Jam title. DePaul beat Saint Joseph’s to take third place, Northern Iowa topped Boston College to capture fifth and South Dakota State clipped East Carolina for seventh.
Further information concerning the tournament can be found on the internet at paradisejam.com. All games leading up to the semifinals are slated to be streamed online. The semifinals will be televised on Fox College Sports, while the championship will air on Fox Sports Net.