In what may be the greatest seventh-place consolation game in history, the Purdue Boilermakers and Arizona Wildcats will try to salvage in what’s otherwise been an event to forget. Who’ll leave the Bahamas without a victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis?
TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 24, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN3
Arena: Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas
There was a legitimate chance that this could’ve been a finals match-up in the Battle 4 Atlantis. No. 2 Arizona Wildcats were a final four favorite and a national title contender thanks to the duo of Alonzo Trier and DeAndre Ayton. They were expected to at least cruise into the finals of this event, setting them up against a ranked opponent.
That came to an immediate screeching halt, with a 90-84 loss to NC State. The Wolf Pack were considered an improved team (although they turned around and lost to Northern Iowa), so it wasn’t an embarrassing defeat.
Next was SMU, who is a solid team but not in the same class as the Wildcats. That didn’t matter to the Mustangs, who pulled off the 66-60 upset to get their first win in this event. While Arizona shot better from the field, it was the 19-6 disadvantage in turnovers that did them in.
What also did them in was that only two players showed up. Trier led the way with 22, and Ayton has been as good as advertised with 17 points and 15 rebounds. There was next to nothing from anyone else, which is unacceptable considering the veterans on the roster. Sean Miller can’t wait soon enough for Rawle Atkins return.
The No. 18 Purdue Boilermakers have been as equally as disappointing, showing the weaknesses of their team. In the first round game with Tennessee, they failed to utilized their size advantage. The next game, they were simply outplayed by Western Kentucky.
Isaac Haas was fine with 22 points, and PJ Thompson chipped in 19. But that was just about it, with Vincent and Carsen Edwards combining for 19 points on 8/23 shooting, and Dakota Mathias scoring just five points on 1/8 shooting. If Purdue can’t shoot the ball well, they’re going to be in trouble this season.
Next: Duke vs. Texas PK80 preview
Both teams will be fine in terms of making the big dance, but the week of Thanksgiving will haunt both teams in terms of seeding later on. The matchup to watch will be Ayton versus Haas, but it’s unlikely that the 7’2 Boilermaker can keep up with the athletic future NBA big man. One of these teams will go winless this week.
Prediction: Arizona 82 – Purdue 70