LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Drake University men's basketball team treks to the historic central Virginia hamlet of Lynchburg this week to play three games in three days as part of the Paradise Jam. The tournament, originally slated to be hosted in the U.S. Virgin Islands, was relocated to Lynchburg and Liberty University following this fall's destructive hurricanes in the Caribbean.

The Bulldogs open play at the tournament Friday evening against Wake Forest at 7:30 p.m. CST from Liberty's Vines Center. The Demon Deacons will be Drake's first opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference since facing Virginia in the 2011 edition of the Paradise Jam. The game will be streamed online via FloHoops.tv's subscription service and over the airwaves in Des Moines on ESPN Des Moines 1350-AM.

Following Friday's game, Drake will face either Colorado or Quinnipiac Saturday followed by a Sunday contest against either Liberty, Houston, Drexel or Mercer.

The Bulldogs enter the tournament after opening their season with a 101-54 victory over Coe College in which the team sank 16 three-pointers, one shy of a school record. Graham Woodward (Edina, Minn.) led the way with 20 points on a perfect 5-of-5 performance from the three-point arc. Freshman Noah Thomas (Sydney, Australia) recovered from a tough first half to score 13 second-half points while recording six steals. After one game, he currently leads the nation in steals per game.

Wake Forest makes the short trip to Virginia in search of its first win of the season after dropping contests to Georgia Southern and Liberty to open its season. Last season, the Demon Deacons made their first NCAA appearance in seven years after and recorded a 19-14 record. The team returns two starters from that team.

Friday's meeting will be the first in the series between the Bulldogs and Demon Deacons.