NCAA Basketball: 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis preview and predictions

UNC (4-0)

The Tarheels are 4-0 heading into this tournament and are the first seed here as the favorite to win these three straight games. Armando Bacot is still doing his thing as one of the best big men in the country with 22.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. With the veteran leadership they can compete with every team in this field.

VILLANOVA (4-1)

The Wildcats recently fell out of the graces of the top 25 due to a tough loss to Penn, but they rebounded quite nicely against Maryland and the Terrapins. This is a well rounded squad led by Justin Moore, Eric Dixon, and they are loaded with talent everywhere. This stretch of the season for Villanova is their chance to get back into the top 25, and this matchup against Texas Tech  is going to be crucial. The two-time Battle 4 Atlantis Champions will be looking for a third, and have a great chance too.

TEXAS TECH (3-0)

Speaking of the Red Raiders they will be getting their first true test against those Villanova Wildcats. This is a balanced squad with three players in the 11 points per game range; Pop Issacs, Joe Toussaint, and Darrion Williams make up their guard depth and can all score the ball well. Look for this team to make some noise if they get hot offensively. Texas Tech also  has a variety of newcomers to the program and they will look to continue to gel here in the Bahamas, but they get a tough draw starting against Villanova in the Battle 4 Atlantis

UNI (1-3)

Every one of these tournaments always has a fun underdog, and the University of Northern Iowa from the Missouri Valley Conference is exactly that. The Panthers have their work cut out for them starting off against UNC, but they actually have upset them before. Back in 2015, these two teams met when UNC was the No.1 team in the nation, and the Panthers won and shocked the nation. If they want to do it again it will be off the back of Nate Heise, a 14.3 point-per-game scorer, anything is possible in the Bahamas.