LAKE CHARLES – McNeese has drawn Illinois State as its opponent in the first round at the 2024 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Men's Basketball Tournament which will be played in St. Thomas and the University of Virgin Islands Elridge Blake Sports and Fitness Center this November.
 
The eight-team field will get started on Nov. 22 and run through the 25^th. McNeese, 30-4 a year ago and the defending Southland Conference champions, will go up against Illinois State who finished 15-17 a year ago.
 
Other matchups include Longwood vs. UAB, Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Liberty, and George Washington against Kansas State.
 
McNeese, UAB and Longwood competed in the NCAA Tournament last season while Kansas State qualified for the NIT.
 
"We are excited to be in the 25^th annual Paradise Jam," said second-year head coach Will Wade. "The bracket is very tough as usual as we look forward to competing against some of the best programs in the country."
 
The bracket pairings were determined using a combination of NET rankings, RPI and broadcast considerations.
 
UAB compiled a 23-12 record last season and won the AAC Tournament to punch its ticket to its second NCAA Tournament in three seasons. Longwood posted a 21-14 overall record while sweeping through Big South Tournament play as the No. 5 seed.
 
Kansas State went 19-15 and fell in the first round of the NIT; Liberty, a member of Conference USA, finished 18-14 on the season; ULL, a Sun Belt member, finished 19-14; and George Washington out of the Atlantic 10, finished 15-17 last year.
 
McNeese posted a 2-0 record last season against this year's field, winning 81-60 at UAB and 74-72 at home against ULL.
 
The complete 2024-25 Cowboys' schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
 
2024 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Bracket (times are Eastern Time)
Nov. 22, 2024
Game 1 | Longwood vs. UAB, 1:30 p.m.
Game 2 | Illinois State vs. McNeese, 4 p.m.
Game 3 | ULL vs. Liberty, 6:30 p.m.
Game 4 | George Washington vs. Kansas State, 9 p.m.
 
Nov. 23, 2024
Game 5 | Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, 4 p.m.
Game 6 | Loser G3 vs. Loser G4, 6:30 p.m.
 
Nov. 24, 2024
Game 7 | Winner G1 vs Winner G2, 6:30 p.m.
Game 8 | Winner G3 vs. Winner G4, 9 p.m.
 
Nov. 25, 2024
Game 9 | Loser G5 vs. Loser G6, 1:30 p.m. (7^th and 8^th place)
Game 10 | Winner G5 vs. Winner G6, 6:30 p.m. (4^th and 6^th place)
Game 11 | Loser G7 vs. Loser G8, 6:30 p.m. (3^rd and 5^th place)
Game 12 | Winner G7 vs. Winner G8, 9 p.m. (Champion and Runner-Up)