Teams 8 men's, 8 women's | ||
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Finals site Sports and Fitness Center
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands | ||
The 2006 Paradise Jam Tournament was a men 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 and Marquette won the women's St. John Division.
Contents
Men's Tournament
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. 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. 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.
Women's Tournament
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:
St. John Division:
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.
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.