Previewing the Buffs’ trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands

Eight teams, four days and one champion.

The next stop for the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball team is the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam Tournament.

After a 3-0 start to the season for the Buffs, they will travel to the islands to take part in the tournament. The field includes some solid teams.

The eight-team field consists of Creighton, Bradley, Brown, Colorado State, Northeastern, Duquesne, Southern Illinois and the Buffs.

The action starts on Friday and the Buffs’ first game is against Southern Illinois. Can the Buffs go to 4-0 on the season and find a way to keep their winning streak alive?

Let’s take a look at their first opponent.

Southern Illinois

Record: 1-1

The Salukis lost to Arkansas-Little Rock by three points to kick off the season and then responded by beating Austin Peay by 18 points.

The Salukis are a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Junior guard Lance Jones has led the way for Southern Illinois this season, dropping 21 points in the first game and 22 against Austin Peay.

As for the Buffs, they barely squeaked by Montana State in overtime to start the season. However, they have responded nicely and beat New Mexico and Maine over the past two games.

If the Buffs want to improve their resume, this tournament is the perfect opportunity to do so. If they win the first two games, they could face one of Creighton or in-state rival Colorado State, and both games would be massive resume boosters.

The winner of Colorado-Southern Illinois will face the winner of Duquesne-Northeastern, and the tournament will air on ESPN3.