UConn to Face Wake Forest in Paradise Jam

UConn will meet Wake Forest in the opening round of the 2012 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam at University of Virgin Islands, according to the brackets released by tournament officials.

The Huskies, seeded No. 2 in the tourney, will play the seventh-seeded Demon Deacons on Friday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m. (EDT). On the same side of the bracket, No. 3 seed Iona will take on No. 6 seed Quinnipiac at 9 p.m. Those winners will meet in the tourney semifinals on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 9 p.m., while the losers will play on Saturday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m.

On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 4 George Mason challenges No. 5 Mercer in the tourney opener (1:30 p.m.), while top-seeded New Mexico plays No. 8 seed Illinois-Chicago (4 p.m.) in the other Friday doubleheader.

All eight teams will play their third games on Monday, Nov. 19, including the championship game at 9 p.m.
Game times are subject to change for television considerations, which will be announced at a later date. The tourney will take place at the Sports and Fitness Center on the island of St. Thomas.

UConn won the 2008 Paradise Jam championship, defeating LaSalle, Miami, and Wisconsin on its way to the title. That season, the Huskies went on to post a 31-5 overall record and reach the 2009 Final Four.

UConn and Wake Forest have met only twice, each winning a game on its home court. The Huskies bowed to Wake Forest, 103-77, in Winston-Salem on Dec. 29, 1969, and defeated the Deacons, 84-75, on Dec. 2, 1991, at the Hartford Civic (now XL) Center.