Arizona women’s basketball to play in loaded 2021 Paradise Jam

Arizona women’s basketball has typically had a weak non-conference schedule under head coach Adia Barnes, but they are beefing it up now that they are better.

Arizona is one of eight teams set to participate in the 2021 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27. The field also includes Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, DePaul, Northwestern, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and South Dakota.

Texas A&M, Rutgers, Northwestern and South Dakota were NCAA Tournament teams last season. DePaul reached the WNIT.

It has not been determined which teams Arizona will play yet, but the UA press release says “the event gives teams a guaranteed three games, splitting the field into two, four-team tournaments. The champion of each division will be determined by best record, with scoring margin as the tiebreaker.”

All games will be streamed live on ESPN3 or ESPN+.

Two notable storylines that could result from this tournament: Arizona facing Texas A&M—which is a Sweet Sixteen rematch—and Arizona playing Vanderbilt after adding one of their players (Koi Love) from the transfer portal this offseason.

Here’s a look at the records of all the teams in the Paradise Jam, which will take place at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas:

• Arizona: 21-6, 13-4 Pac-12
• DePaul: 14-10, 11-5 Big East
• Northwestern: 16-9, 11-7 Big Ten
• Pittsburgh: 5-14, 3-12 ACC
• Rutgers: 14-5, 10-3 Big Ten
• South Dakota: 19-6, 12-2 Summit League
• Texas A&M: 25-3, 13-1 SEC
• Vanderbilt: 4-4, 0-3 SEC