LEXINGTON, Ky — Kentucky will meet first-time opponent Oregon State Thursday, Nov. 25 in the opening day of the Paradise Jam hosted by Basketball Travelers. The Cats and the Beavers will tip off at 6 p.m. EST at the University of Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

The Wildcats (2-0) are coming off back-to-back home wins over Butler and Florida A&M last weekend while the Beavers are 1-0 after defeating Idaho State in their season opener.

?We are excited to participate in this prestigious tournament,? UK Coach Mickie DeMoss said. ?Oregon State is a very good team and they play in a tough conference, the Pac-10. These games will give us a good look at where we are and what we need to work on for conference play.?

UK will play three games in three days in the round robin format of the St. John bracket. The Cats play first-year Division I member South Dakota State Friday, Nov. 26 at 3:30 p.m. EST followed by a matchup with nationally-ranked Rutgers Saturday, Nov. 27 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Senior guard Sara Potts leads UK in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. She currently ranks 19th on the all-time scoring list and needs just five points to pass Janet Timperman (1,080) at No. 18. Junior forward/center Jennifer ?Lanky? Humphrey is the team?s leading rebounder, averaging 11.0 rpg to go along with her 11.5 ppg.

The Beavers return two starters from a squad that finished 17-15 overall, 8-10 in the Pac-10 last season. Three players average in double-figure scoring for OSU. Leading the way is Shannon Howell with 29.0 ppg, followed by Mandy Close and Kim Butler with 16.0 and 12.0 ppg, respectively. OSU is coached by Judy Spoelstra, in her 10th season with Beavers.

This is the first meeting between the teams and DeMoss? first career-meeting vs. a team from the Pac-10. UK is 1-5 all-time vs. teams from the Pac-10 (0-1 vs. Oregon, 1-4 vs. UCLA).

* The Wildcats held a two-hour practice Wednesday morning at Antilles High School in St. Thomas. In the afternoon, the Cats enjoyed a day of fun-in-the-sun with a Catamaran and Snorkel Tour.