Villanova vs. Northern Iowa: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

In the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, the Northern Iowa Panthers take on the Villanova Wildcats. Who wins this David vs. Goliath matchup?

TV schedule: Friday, Nov. 24, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Arena: Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas

It’s been an upside down tournament in the Bahamas, as a number of upsets have occurred. However, the Villanova Wildcats (5-0), led by hall of fame coach Jay Wright, have made it to finals. After taking care of Western Kentucky, they had a fight on their hands with Tennessee.

The Volunteers led by 12 a half and were up by as much as 15 before the Wildcats went on a furious run in the opening minutes of the second half to take the lead before never looking back. Jalen Brunson was the catalyst for the comeback, scoring 18 of his 25 total points in the second half, and showed why fans shouldn’t be too worried about replacing the leadership and the skills of the beloved Josh Hart.

Mikal Bridges was also key in the win, dropping 21 points on an efficient 7/10 field goal shooting. Backup guard Donte DiVincenzo contributed off the bench with 13 points. The Wildcats will take on a team with great momentum, looking for another top win.

The Northern Iowa Panthers (5-1) have advanced to the finals off of back-to-back upsets wins over SMU and NC State. In the win against the Wolf Pack, freshman guard Tywhon Pickford was the star of the game. He had 18 points, but, more importantly, had 18 rebounds — all while being 6’4. Senior forward Bennett Koch and Juwan McCloud each had 16 in the victory.

The Missouri Valley Conference team has a longstanding history of playing up to their opponents and has more than a few wins against high-caliber power conference foes. Longtime Panthers’ coach Ben Jacobson has developed a reputation as a giant killer and will not be afraid to take on the Wildcats.

Next: Villanova beats Tennessee after big second half

As good as the Panthers have been in pulling off upsets, Villanova has been just as good as avoiding them. Very rarely do they play to the level of their opponent and especially twice after allowing Tennessee to win the first half. Expect the Wildcats to win somewhat comfortably in this finals game.

Prediction: Villanova 76 – Northern Iowa 60