NCAA Basketball: 2022 Battle 4 Atlantis preview, predictions

The field and key players

For the second straight year, the defending national champion will be in the Bahamas, as the Kansas Jayhawks lead a loaded field into battle. The other teams in the tournament (in alphabetical order): the Butler Bulldogs, BYU Cougars, Dayton Flyers, NC State Wolfpack, Tennessee Volunteers, USC Trojans, and Wisconsin Badgers.

Kansas will likely be the favorite to win the tournament. A number of key players could determine how the event unfolds, though:

C Manny Bates, Butler

There’s a chance the big man will face his former team at some point this week. The former NC State Wolfpack center missed virtually all of last season before transferring to Butler. With his shoulder healed, Manny Bates is proving to be critical to the Bulldogs. He’s averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. He may be the most dominant big man in the field.

F Tyler Wahl, Wisconsin

Wisconsin needed somebody to emerge as the next guy after Johnny Davis left town for the NBA. Tyler Wahl is emerging as that guy during his senior season, averaging 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. His free throw shooting and stealing have improved immensely, but he’ll need to hit more than 37 percent of his shots to be a difference-maker.

G Terquavion Smith, NC State

This tournament is an opportunity to introduce Terquavion Smith to some of the less obsessive fans of college basketball. Smith has a chance to be one of the best players in the nation this season. He’s not the Wolfpack’s leading scorer at the moment – that’s Jarkel Joiner – but Smith is averaging 20.0 points, 5.7 assists, and a whopping 3.7 steals per game. This could be a breakout moment for him.