2006 Paradise Jam Tournament

The 2006 Paradise Jam Tournament was a men's and women's preseason college basketball tournament that took place in Saint Thomas at the Sports and Fitness Center. Alabama won the men's division. The women's St. Thomas Division championship game was canceled[1] and Marquette won the women's St. John Division.

Paradise Jam Tournament

Teams	8 men's, 8 women's
Finals site	Sports and Fitness Center Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Paradise Jam Tournament

Men's Tournament

Alabama team photo 2006,Paradise Jam Tournament winner

Alabama faced Middle Tennessee in the 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

Bracket

	First Round November 17					Semifinals November 18					Championship November 20
		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
		College of Charleston	59

	7th Place game
		Middle Tennessee	56
		College of Charleston	64

Women's Tournament

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.

Participating Teams

St. Thomas Division:[5]

• WKU
• Penn State
• Arizona State
• Rutgers

St. John Division:[5]

• Western Michigan
• Xavier
• Auburn
• Marquette

Overview

St. Thomas Division

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.[1]

St. John Division

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.[6]

References

1. "2006 Paradise Jam – Women". Retrieved 27 Dec 2012.
2. "Short-handed Crimson Tide still have plenty". ESPN. November 17, 2006. Retrieved 2 Feb 2013.
3. "Balanced offensive attack helps Alabama hold off Iowa". ESPN. November 19, 2006. Retrieved 2 Feb 2013.
4. "Riley, Alabama handle Xavier to capture Paradise Jam". ESPN. November 20, 2006. Retrieved 2 Feb 2013.
5. "Tournament History & Statistics". Basketball Travelers, Inc. Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 23 Dec 2012.
6. "Women's "St. John" Division 2006" (PDF). Paradise Jam. Retrieved 2 Feb 2013.