Tomorrow, the Wisconsin Badgers begin the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Along with the Maui Invitational, it’s in my opinion one of the best thanksgiving week tournaments. The Badgers will play three games in three days. First up is Dayton Flyers Basketball. Tip time is 1:30 CST on ESPN.
About Dayton Flyers Basketball
Dayton enters the Battle 4 Atlantis coming off a 60-51 win over Robert Morris Saturday. The Badgers have not played since last week Tuesday. It was an ugly win for the Badgers and one of the worst games I’ve seen them play in a while.
Dayton Flyers Basketball has a balanced scoring attack. The Flyers have three players averaging at least 11 points a game. 6’10 DaRon Holmes II leads the team with 13.3 points a game. 6’9 Mustapha Amzil averages 12.3 points a game, while Kobe Elvis averages 11.3. As you can tell, the Flyers have height and won’t be afraid to show it against the Badgers. Dayton also has a road lost to UNLV.
Who’s Next in the Battle 4 Atlantis?
If the Badgers win tomorrow, they would play the winner of Kansas and North Carolina State. Tip time for the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis would be Thanksgiving Day at 10 AM if they win and 3 PM if they lose.
A chance against the defending national champions would a good challenge for the Badgers. NC State would not be a cakewalk either. Every game in a tournament like this is important. There are no easy games and you have little time to prepare.
The Badgers could play USC, BYU, Tennessee, or Butler on Friday. The time of that game is TBD.
Battle 4 Atlantis Game No. 1 Prediction
Tomorrow’s initial game in the Battle 4 Atlantis against Dayton Flyers Basketball will likely be low-scoring. Look for the Badgers to attempt to get Chucky Hepburn and Tyler Wahl early touches. Both players struggled against Green Bay last Tuesday. This showed there isn’t much room for error with this team when their stars are not playing well. Hepburn and Wahl have to be great this week if the Badgers want to have a good showing.
There are certainly a lot of opportunities in a tournament like the Battle 4 Atlantis. You establish wins for your tournament resume and subsequently see what team you have against power five teams.
The Badgers were in this situation last season in the Maui Invite. Johnny Davis and Brad Davison played a ton of minutes, but a lot of players on this roster contributed as well. The Badgers have the experience of playing three games in three days and little time to prepare. I think that makes a difference tomorrow against Dayton.
I think Hepburn and Wahl both play well tomorrow and I think Wisconsin beats Dayton. Thanksgiving Day, I think they fall to Kansas. In the third-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis, I think the Badgers fall to USC.
Follow me on Twitter @DylanBuboltz and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here! Also, check out our merch store for some amazing WSH merchandise!