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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Ali Farokhmanesh’s weekend itinerary contains just two elements: soak in some sun, and school a few opponents on the basketball court.

The Northern Iowa guard said he eagerly awaits “getting away from the cold weather.”

But, Farokhmanesh added, “this is a great opportunity to play some good teams — and hopefully make some noise.”

Farokhmanesh’s weekend itinerary calls for a trip to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, as he and the Panthers vie with a loaded field in the Paradise Jam.

UNI (1-0) opens with a noon contest against DePaul (1-0) on Friday. Possible clashes with 10th-ranked Tennessee, Boston College or No. 7 Purdue could follow.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is what they call “running a gauntlet.”

“This is a huge tournament for us,” said Panther big man Jordan Eglseder. “We had a great year last year, and this will be great for us to start off this year — and show everyone that we’re ready to do it again.”

UNI, of course, tied a school-record with 23 wins a year ago. But the Panthers also started 5-5, and Eglseder and Co. hope to avoid digging themselves a similar early-season hole by stumbling this weekend.

DePaul boasts a 6-10 NBA prospect in Mac Koshwal. Tennessee (2-0) features multiple senior stars, like 6-7 former Iowa Hawkeye Tyler Smith and 6-9 Wayne Chism. Boston College began the season 2-0 despite being without the services of three suspended players who will be available in the Virgin Islands.

And the Panthers, obviously, know all about Purdue (1-0). One of the Boilermakers’ 28 wins in the last 12 months was a 61-56 victory over UNI last March in the NCAA Tournament.

“When you look at the exempt (tournament) events we want to be a part of,” said Jacobson, “you’re looking for the opportunity to play against good basketball teams — and we’ve got that opportunity with the Paradise Jam.”

When asked if his Panthers would like another shot at Purdue, Jacobson chose his words carefully.

“You know, that (NCAA Tournament game) was a great experience for us,” he said. “We learned a lot from the game against Purdue, but we’re just going to get ready for DePaul.”

Mainly, Jacobson said, this week’s tournament is about testing his team early, and trying to improve.

The Panthers have made it a point of emphasis this week to improve on the ball-handling and low-post mistakes that plagued them early in last Friday’s narrow, season-opening win at Denver.

“We had a lot of flaws that showed up in that game,” said Farokhmanesh.

“Offensively,” said Jacobson, “there’s some things we’ve got to work hard on to get sharpened up.”

Because economics are always part of the decision-process when UNI formulates its schedules, Jacobson said his program can only afford trips to tournaments like the Paradise Jam every four years or so. Thus, the Panthers plan to make the most of this week’s venture to the Virgin Islands.

“We’re going to find out a lot about guys individually,” said Jacobson.