Battle 4 Atlantis schedule, bracket, prediction: Is UNC basketball the favorite?
UNC basketball is in the Bahamas for Thanksgiving week to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.
The Tar Heels (3-0) start the three-day event Wednesday against Northern Iowa (noon, ESPN) inside Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. UNC is coming off a 77-52 win against UC Riverside at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan, Stanford, Texas Tech and Villanova round out the eight-team, 12-game event. The championship game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Friday.
Here’s a look at the full schedule and bracket, along with previews of each team and a prediction for which squad will leave the Bahamas as champions.
Battle 4 Atlantis preview for UNC basketball, Arkansas, Michigan, Villanova, others
Arkansas
Yes, the Razorbacks lost to UNC Greensboro at home, but the Hogs are as talented as any team in the field. They have guards galore — led by Louisville transfer El Ellis and Temple transfer Khalif Battle — and a shot-blocking extraordinaire in Trevon Brazile.
Memphis
Penny Hardaway’s bunch is a bit under the radar, but they’ll have a chance to make an early statement against Michigan. Wichita State transfer Jaykwon Walton and Alabama transfer Jahvon Quinerly give the Tigers a chance against anyone.
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Michigan
Despite losing Hunter Dickinson to Kansas and two first-round picks — Kobe Bufkin and Jett Howard — Juwan Howard’s squad has been an offensive juggernaut with Dug McDaniel, Terrance Williams II and Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua. But giving up 94 points in a loss to Long Beach? Yikes.
UNC
Armando Bacot has to be dominant and RJ Davis has to stretch defenses. UNC also needs consistent production from its newcomers. Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan will be key, but don’t forget about the influence of returners Jalen Washington and Seth Trimble.
Northern Iowa
The Panthers knocked off the top-ranked Tar Heels in 2015 in a homecoming game for Marcus Paige, who missed that game with a broken hand. Nate Heise is the do-everything player for UNI this season as its leader in points, rebounds and assists.
Stanford
The future ACC member has two of the top players in the Pac-12 in Maxime Raynaud — who is nearly averaging a double-double — and Jared Bynum, a machine when it comes to dishing out assists. Andrej Stojakovic, the son of NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, is another name to notice.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders continue to play their grind-it-out style as one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Pop Isaacs and Nevada transfer Darrion Williams look to be the team’s leaders as sophomores.
Villanova
The Wildcats lost some of their shine with the loss at Penn, but bounced back with a win against Maryland. Justin Moore is one of the top players in the nation and ‘Nova has a crowd of talented transfers.
Battle 4 Atlantis prediction
Given its history against UNC, it’s tempting to pick Michigan to come out of the bottom half of the bracket. The Wolverines won the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis — beating the Tar Heels along the way — and have lost to UNC in each of the last two seasons. But I’ll roll with Arkansas and the Muss Bus to roll into the championship game this year.
As for the top half, I think UNC is a safer choice than Texas Tech or Villanova. That means it’ll be the Tar Heels and Razorbacks playing for the title. Going back to 2008, UNC has a pair of wins against the Hogs in a tournament setting — the NCAA Tournament. I’ll take the Heels to edge out Arkansas in Atlantis for the trophy.
Battle 4 Atlantis schedule, bracket
Wednesday
Game 1: UNC vs. Northern Iowa, Noon (ESPN)
Game 2: Villanova vs. Texas Tech, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 3: Michigan vs. Memphis, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 4: Arkansas vs. Stanford, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Thursday
Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, Noon (ESPN2)
Game 6: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 7: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 5 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 8: Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 4, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Friday
Championship: Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Third place: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 7, 1 p.m. (ESPN2)
Fifth place: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 8, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Seventh place: Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 8, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Battle 4 Atlantis schedule, bracket, prediction
