Kansas State basketball draws George Washington in the first round of Paradise Jam
Arne GreenKansas State basketball will face George Washington in the first round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Nov. 22, the tournament organizers announced Tuesday while revealing the complete eight-team tournament bracket.
The Paradise Jam will take place from Friday, Nov. 22 to Monday, Nov. 25 at the University of Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas. It will be K-State's third appearance in the tournament's 24-year history.
K-State is in the bottom half of the eight-team bracket along with GWU, Louisiana and Liberty. Should the Wildcats win their opener, they would face the Louisiana-Liberty winner in the semifinals on Nov. 24, while the first-round losers square off Nov. 23.
The first-round matchups in the top half of the bracket pit Longwood against Alabama-Birmingham and Illinois State against McNeese State. The championship game will take place on Monday, Nov. 25, preceded by seventh-place, fourth-place and third-place games.
More:Kansas State basketball's Big 12 schedule expands to 20 games for upcoming season
More:Kansas State basketball's Purple Reign alumni team to try its luck again in $1 million TBT
Three of the teams in the tournament — Longwood, McNeese State and UAB — advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year.
K-State previously announced nonconference matchups with St. John's in the Big East/Big 12 battle series on Dec. 7 in New York and with Drake on Dec. 17 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The Wildcats also will play a 20-game Big 12 schedule as the league expands to 16 teams in 2024-25.
The Wildcats finished with a 19-15 record last year in their second season under coach Jerome Tang. Only three players return from that team.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @arnegreen.