The Florida Gulf Coast University womens basketball team will be going tropical this November as the Eagles will participate in the 2012 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam at University of the Virgin Islands, which will take place Nov. 22-24.

The Eagles will compete in the Reef Division and will face Big East member DePaul, the SECs South Carolina and Hampton in the three-day event.

The Paradise Jam is one of the most competitive events in womens basketball, FGCU coach Karl Smesko said. We try to schedule something special for our players every year, and this is a special event. It should be a great challenge.

FGCU will meet each of their opponents at the Paradise Jam for the first time in program history. The three opponents all advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season and won over 20 games, combining for a 74-26 overall record.

The Eagles' first game is against DePaul on Thursday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET. On Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. ET, FGCU will face South Carolina, and the Eagles wrap things up against Hampton on Nov. 24 at 1:15 p.m. ET.

Ranked No. 24 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll (April 3), DePaul finished the 2011-12 season with a 23-11 overall record (9-7 Big East) and fell to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Demons, who set program records for 3-pointers (156) and 3-point field goal attempts (753), return their top three scorers, highlighted by the Big Easts leading scorer Anna Martin (19.1 ppg).

Dawn Staley, the 2012 Black Coaches and Administrators Female Coach of the Year, a three-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the most decorated participants in United States women's basketball history, led herGamecocks to a 25-10 overall record (10-6 SEC) and fell to Stanford in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

South Carolina was ranked No. 21 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and drew the No. 25 position in the last AP Top 25, which was released prior to the NCAA tournament. The Gamecocks 25 total wins and 10 SEC victories tied the 2001-02 team for the most in the SEC era. South Carolina defeated six top-25 teams, including five wins either on the road or at a neutral site, and, after tying for fourth in the regular-season standings, reached the SEC tournament semifinals for the first time in school history.

Hampton, which finished 26-5 overall (15-1 MEAC) last season and lost to Stanford in the opening round of the NCAA tournament, ranked No. 8 in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.

Hampton won its second straight MEAC regular-season title and third straight MEAC tournament crown, while also setting a school Division I record for victories in a single season. The Pirates will have a different look next season, as they will be without their top three scorers, who accounted for 57.2 percent of HUs scoring in 2011-12, including a first team All-MEAC selection and MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in Jericka Jenkins.

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Women's basketball: FGCU playing in Virgin Islands tourney in November