Texas Tech University Athletics
Lady Raiders Announce Participation in 2026 Paradise Jam
July 30, 2026 | Women's Basketball
Texas Tech will play two games from Nov. 26-28
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Lady Raiders will travel to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands from Nov. 26 through Nov. 28 to compete in the annual Paradise Jam at the University of Virgin Islands' Elridge Blake Sports & Fitness Center.
The event features three separate four-team divisions that will compete throughout the weekend: the Harbor Division, Island Division and Reef Division. The Lady Raiders will be competing in the Island Division alongside Air Force, Xavier and Santa Clara. The tournament field across the other divisions includes Baylor, Penn State, USF, Seton Hall, Colorado State, Grambling State, Tennessee Tech and Little Rock.
The Lady Raiders will open tournament play on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, at 4:30 p.m. CT against Air Force in the first meeting between the two programs. Depending on the outcome of that contest, Texas Tech will return to the court on Saturday, Nov. 28, either at 11:30 a.m. CT in the Island Division third-place game or at 4 p.m. CT in the Island Division championship. The Lady Raiders' Saturday opponent will be determined by the result of the Xavier–Santa Clara matchup on Thursday.
This trip marks Texas Tech's fourth appearance at Paradise Jam and its first since 2024, when head coach Krista Gerlich guided the Lady Raiders to a 2-1 finish. After opening the tournament with a loss to Florida State, Texas Tech bounced back with wins over Gonzaga and Missouri State.
Overall, the Lady Raiders are 4-4 at Paradise Jam. Texas Tech earned victories over Penn State and Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) during its tournament debut in 2000-01 before returning in 2008-09, where the squad fell to Iowa, California and South Florida.
Fan packages for the event are available through Basketball Travelers and include accommodation, all-tournament passes, transportation passes and a special tournament gift.
All games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
PARADISE JAM ISLAND DIVISION SCHEDULE (times listed in CT)
Thursday, Nov. 26
Texas Tech vs. Air Force, 4:30 p.m.
Santa Clara vs. Xavier, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 28
Third-Place Game, 11:30 a.m.
Championship Game, 2 p.m.
Follow the Lady Raiders: Keep up with Texas Tech women's basketball news at TexasTech.com and at team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Lady Raider season tickets are currently available for the 2026-27 season by visiting TexasTech.com/tickets. The team's full schedule is set to be announced at a later date.
