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Feast Week continues with the Battle 4 Atlantis! Keep reading to check out full tournament breakdowns from Sam Basel and Joe Haughey.
Sam Basel's Bracket
Basel's Breakdown:
As the lights dim in Maui, the Battle 4 Atlantis takes the baton as the premier college basketball invitational tournament to carry us to the end of Feast Week. While there is a clear favorite to win this year’s tournament, I think every team in this bracket can use this week to fuel a run in March.
This is Gonzaga’s tournament to lose. Through 5 games so far this season, the Bulldogs have steamrolled their competition by an average margin of 32.2 points per game. Graham Ike’s (14.6 PPG) post presence and Ryan Nembhard’s (9.4 APG) playmaking abilities are the two highlights of an experienced, extremely talented offense. Defensively, the Bulldogs have dominated the turnover battle in all 4 wins following their season opener against Baylor. Look for a commanding, composed Bulldogs team to stroll into Championship Friday.
Elsewhere on the winner’s side of the bracket, I think the Louisville Cardinals will shock Indiana in their tourney opener. Once again, I would like to highlight the turnovers here. Indiana has had a lot of issues controlling the ball this season, and if Louisville can knock the Hoosiers off their rhythm early, I think the Cards have a chance to take this one. However, I think the only team capable of meeting Gonzaga on Friday is Arizona. Despite their 2-2 record, Arizona is a very physical team that can dominate the glass on both ends.
Following a Day 1 loss to Louisville, the Indiana Hoosiers will thrive in the loser’s bracket. While no one wants to play for a consolation prize, leaving The Bahamas 2-1 in 5th place could do a lot more for your resume than a 1-2 4th place finish. Look for the ball to run through IU’s Mackenzie Mgbako (18.8 PPG). The 6-8 sophomore forward has the size, speed, and shooting ability to exhaust any of the opposing consolation bracket defenses.
Joe Haughey's Bracket
Haughey's Breakdown:
Alright, so I’ll preface this with the fact that I’m a diehard Providence fan, and I’m also a serial optimist. So please consider these two things when reading through my bracket selections.
The Battle 4 Atlantis participants, in my opinion, can be broken down into three tiers. Tier 1; “The Favorites,” which is home to only Gonzaga and Arizona. Tier 2; “Unbeaten, Yet Unproven,” which includes Indiana, Providence, and Oklahoma. Lastly, Tier 3; “Something to Prove,” with Louisville, West Virginia, and Davidson.
There’s little to say about the teams that live in Tier 1. Gonzaga and Arizona should be favored generously in each matchup that they draw this week in The Bahamas (I know, Arizona is .500, but I don’t think anyone is going to punish them for losses at Wisconsin, and at home to #12 Duke). As for Tier 2, these teams bolster perfect records, albeit, against lower quality opponents. Indiana, Providence, and Oklahoma all enter this week unproven against major conference opponents. The teams in Tier 3 are, frankly, not expected to shake things up much. Anything is possible, but I wouldn’t put money on it.
Personally, I think Gonzaga wins this thing. How the Zags get there though is where things get interesting.
On the winner’s side of the bracket:
Indiana should knock off Louisville, and Gonzaga will roll past West Virginia. Providence-Oklahoma should make for one of the best games of this MTE, but I’m taking the Friars with their 4th ranked defense to beat the Sooners, and then to pull the upset of Arizona on Thursday. I think Gonzaga beats Providence comfortably on Friday, while Arizona and Indiana duke it out for 3rd place. Gonzaga wins the Battle 4 Atlantis, Providence finishes 2nd (I told you, I’m an optimist), Arizona finishes 3rd, and Indiana finishes 4th.
On the loser’s side of the bracket:
I think Louisville beats West Virginia in a scrappy battle, while Oklahoma rolls past Davidson, which sets up a Louisville-Oklahoma 5th place game. I’ll take the Sooners to finish 5th, Louisville to finish 6th, West Virginia to finish 7th, and Davidson to finish last.
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