USF Athletics

Bulls to face Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA in 2018 Paradise Jam

May 09, 2018

TAMPA, MAY 10, 2018 – A USF women's basketball team that made its fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance in 2018 and finished the season ranked No. 24 will face some of the most recognizable names in college basketball at the 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, Nov. 22-24.

Head coach Jose Fernandez's 19^th USF team will take on Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA in round-robin play in the Island Division bracket. The three-day tournament features eight programs. Connecticut, Purdue, Ole Miss and St. John's will compete in the Reef Division bracket. Games will be played at the Virgin Islands' Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas and will be streamed online at FloHoops.com. For more information about the 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam and a printable bracket, please visit www.paradisejam.com.

The Bulls will open the tournament on Thursday, Nov. 22 with a 1 p.m. (ET) tip vs. Kentucky in the opening game of the tournament. The Wildcats posted a 15-17 (6-10 SEC) record last season. The game will mark the third meeting between the programs with Kentucky holding a 2-0 lead in the series. The then No. 9-ranked Wildcats posted a 61-57 victory in the teams' last meeting in the 2014 Paradise Jam.

The Bulls will face North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 23 in a 3 p.m. (ET) tip. The Tar Heels posted a 15-16 (4-12 ACC) record last season. The teams have previously split a pair of meetings with USF posting an 83-55 victory in the 2016 Junkanoo Jam.

USF's final game in the Paradise Jam will be played on Saturday, Nov. 24 vs. UCLA in a 3 p.m. (ET) tip. It will mark the second meeting between the programs and first since UCLA posted a close 72-67 victory in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bruins posted a 27-8 (14-4 Pac-12) record last season and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Mississippi State. The Bruins were ranked No. 7 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll.

USF will be looking to post a seventh straight 20-plus win season in 2018-19. The Bulls return senior starters Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) and Laura Ferreira (Lisboa, Portugal) from a team that posted a 26-8 (13-3 American) record. Laksa earned first-team all-conference and WBCA honorable mention All-America honors for the second straight season after leading the Bulls averaging 21.1 points per game and making 126 threes.

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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
 
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.