It’s no secret that the best way to do college basketball is through bracket play. The “winner advances” format makes every game matter and leads to some of the best and most memorable moments in college basketball.
Surely, in March, the conferences tournaments and NCAA Tournament is what you think of most, but even the holiday tournaments during the preseason are worth paying attention to. At Bet For The Win, we preview them all.
Today, we take a look at the Battle 4 Atlantis, which includes the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks. We dive into the schedule and the field before predicting a winner.
The Field
Tournament Format
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The scheduling for this season’s Battle 4 Atlantis is a simple one that places importance on each team’s first game.
All eight teams are slated to play on November 23rd with the four winners heading to the championship bracket and the four losers moving over to the consolation bracket.
Schedule
Nov. 23, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN – No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks vs. N.C. State Wolfpack
Nov. 23, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 – No. 21 Dayton Flyers vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Nov. 23, 5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN – USC Trojans vs. BYU Cougars
Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2 – No. 22 Tennessee Volunteers vs. Butler Bulldogs
No. 3 Kansas vs. N.C. State
It’s not often that the Jayhawks and Wolfpack go to battle against one another. It’s been 10 years since their last meeting, which resulted in a 60-57 KU win during the Sweet Sixteen of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
As they hold an 11-1 all-time series lead, KU shouldn’t haven’t many issues with its ACC opponent. Between Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson, the defending champs have the most high-end talent and a better roster. And despite being undefeated entering this matchup, it will be worth monitoring how this Jarkel Joiner-led Wolfpack team performs against greater competition.
Not to mention, Kansas will get a boost on the sideline as head coach Bill Self returns from a school-imposed four-game suspension.
Dayton vs. Wisconsin
Remember that 2020 Dayton team that looked prime for a deep run? Or better yet, do you remember the 2014 Flyers that actually did make a deep run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tourney? Well, this year’s team was thought to be somewhere near good.
How good? It’s unsure, given that the Flyers haven’t looked great to begin the season. With Dayton’s loss to UNLV, there’s no reason to think that the Badgers can’t exploit Dayton’s offense similarly and make a bid for an upset behind Tyler Wahl’s strong play.
USC vs. BYU
Between a season-opening loss to FGCU and narrowly escaping Vermont, the Trojans’ start hasn’t gone as expected. BYU has also played in nothing but close games so far, with a credible loss to No. 17 San Diego State.
There likely won’t be a clear-cut advantage for either team when they share the court on Wednesday, which should make for maybe the most unpredictable game of Day 1.
No. 22 Tennessee vs. Butler
Early-season basketball is weird. The Vols beat that aforementioned FGCU team by 31 points but lost on a neutral court to Colorado. Meanwhile, Butler hasn’t yet beaten any noteworthy teams. So, is the simple solution here to expect a preseason Top 25 and SEC championship-contending Volunteer team to show up and out-talent Butler?
Prediction
I hate to be so straightforward but I can’t see this tournament being won by anyone but Kansas or Tennessee, who are appropriately positioned in the bracket for an eventual championship game clash. And even giving the Vols superiority over the rest of the non-KU teams, it’s pretty clear who the best team is (Kansas).
Holiday tournaments and neutral court games have a tendency to play out in weird ways, but even if Bill Self’s Jayhawks don’t dominate, I think they do enough on the defensive end before their depth and cast of talented offensive players figure out how to separate from Tennessee in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game.
