NCAA Basketball: 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis preview and predictions
By John Makuch
MICHIGAN (3-1)
Michigan has had quite the strange season to start the year, they got off to such a hot start including a win against St, John’s in a convincing win. And then Long Beach State came in to Ann Arbor and the Wolverines lost by eight. This part of their season is where they either become a team that just sits around .500, or elevate their play to get over that hump and give themselves some breathing room heading into conference play.
Dug McDaniel being a 21-point-per-game scorer helps quite a bit too, and Oliver Kamhoua is right behind him in that column. The stars will need to come out to help them advance against these tough teams on this side of the bracket.
ARKANSAS (3-1)
Arkansas was another team that got off to a phenomenal start but now has an early loss to a lower-tier opponent. The Razorbacks find themselves at No. 20 in the AP Poll but a loss to UNC Greensboro has them in a rough spot. Khalif Battle is leading the way so far for this team with 16.5 points per game, players like El Ellis and Tramon Mark are also playing well and will need to in this tournament. Arkansas is going to me a formidable team all season despite their loss, and this will be their time to prove everything.
MEMPHIS (3-0)
While the Tigers are not in the top 25, they have the most votes out of any non ranked team, so a win against a quality opponent in this tournament will likely get them in. An early season win against Missouri has this team with high expectations, and with Javhon Quinerly coming in from Alabama this team can compete in the American Athletic Conference. But it starts against a Michigan team coming off a slip up, that will be the best matchup of the first day, two teams jostling for positioning and major wins for when March comes around.
STANFORD (3-1)
Stanford sits at 3-1 like many teams here, but a loss to Santa Clara can be a bit off-putting for this team in their final PAC-12 season. They also got a tough draw with Arkansas, but this will be a chance to prove themselves big time. In these settings where you play so many games in a row, stars come out towards the end, and Maxine Raynaud can be that player. He leads the way for the Cardinal with 19.3 points per game, and will be a key piece if Stanford wants to avoid ending up without a couple of wins to show for after this trip.