Memphis vs Villanova: 2023-24 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

Memphis and Villanova will meet in the title game of the Battle 4 Atlantis; can the Wildcats secure the tournament title or are the Tigers heading back home with a hot start to their year?

TV schedule: Friday, November 24, 3:30 pm ET. ESPN

Arena: Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas

For Memphis (5-0) the season has started with great success and it’s continued in recent days in the Bahamas. Penny Hardaway’s squad got a 15-point road win at Missouri in the opening week of the season and have now held on for close wins against Michigan and Arkansas in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Already possessing three potential Quad 1 wins, Memphis heads towards their toughest challenge of the early season.

David Jones (14.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) has certainly been the player to watch for Memphis and that was certainly the case in the semifinals, dropping a career-high 36 points in their win over Arkansas. Senior point guard Jahvon Quinerly (12.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.3 apg) has been an excellent addition to the Tigers’ backcourt and got significant run at both Alabama and Villanova. Senior forward Jakwon Walton (12.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg) also had another double-digit scoring effort in their win over the Razorbacks.

Memphis sits unranked in the national polls, though that may change if they leave the Bahamas with the tournament title. They currently sit at 27th in the KenPom rankings and have already proven their worth against several strong programs. Things haven’t always been pretty, but the Tigers are coming off their most efficient offensive performance and look even stronger than advertised in the preseason.

The team waiting across the way is no pushover, as Villanova (5-1) has now won three straight games against power conference foes after an upset loss at Penn. That lone blemish against the Quakers was a poor effort in the Big 5, but the Wildcats have punched Maryland and Texas Tech in the mouth and survived overtime against North Carolina in the semifinals on Thursday.

The man responsible for that overtime success is Eric Dixon (10.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg) who broke out with 33 points and 10 rebounds against the Tar Heels. The leading scorer has been Justin Moore (16.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg), who had another 16 on Thursday and has been healthy at last this season. Another name to watch is Tyler Burton (10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg), the Richmond transfer who’s played a nice role in this frontcourt.

Villanova fell out of the AP Top 25 after that loss to Penn, but have worked their way back up to 19th in the KenPom rankings. These last three victories have shown that their performance against the Quakers wasn’t the norm, moving beyond their struggles from last season. This is certainly a ranked team again if they’re victorious on Friday, though the recent struggles from long-range may be a bit concerning.

There’s talent galore on these teams, though many will be eager to see the follow-up acts for Jones and Dixon after a pair of phenomenal performances in the semifinals. Villanova has been a better defensive team in recent days and containing Jones is clearly one of their biggest goals. This will be especially important if the outside shots still aren’t falling.

However, the Wildcats do have Dixon playing some of his best ball and slightly more overall talent in this starting five. We’re going to lean slightly towards the Wildcats to leave the Bahamas with a tournament title, but this game could certainly go either way. Memphis hasn’t been great on the boards and that could cause trouble on the defensive end. It’s a matchup that could swing either way, but we’re leaning slightly towards Villanova.

Prediction: Villanova 75, Memphis 73