Men's Hoops to Play in Battle 4 Atlantis

May 6, 2013

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa announced today a change to its 2013-14 men’s basketball non-conference schedule.

The Hawkeyes will be competing in the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis, held over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 28-30. The tournament is held annually at the Atlantis Royal Towers Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Iowa was originally slated to compete in the Great Alaska Shootout.

The eight-team field features Kansas, Tennessee, Villanova, USC, Wake Forest, UTEP, Xavier and the Hawkeyes. Four of the eight teams saw postseason action last season; Kansas advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, Villanova fell to North Carolina in the NCAA second round; Iowa was the NIT runners-up, while Tennessee lost in the NIT first round.

“Both the Great Alaska Shootout and Battle 4 Atlantis are phenomenal tournaments,” said head coach Fran McCaffery. “The Great Alaska Shootout is a tournament rich in tradition, while the Battle 4 Atlantis is an exciting new tournament that began two years ago. We are excited about this new opportunity for our program and fans.”

The impressive tournament field boasts a combined 191 NCAA Tournament appearances, 25 Final Four appearances and five National Championships. Harvard won the inaugural tournament title in 2011 and Duke in 2012.

The games are played in the Imperial Arena, a grand ballroom which is turned into a basketball venue, similar to last year’s Cancun Challenge. The half-million dollar temporary stadium boasts state-of-the-art regulation facilities at the epicenter of the world’s largest open-air marine habitat complete with lavish guest accommodations, restaurants, bars, spa, lounges, waterslides and the largest casino in the Bahamas. The event drew more than 4,000 fans to the 2012 championship game.

Tournament matchups and television information will be announced at a later date.

Battle 4 Atlantis 2013 ticket and travel packages can be booked by calling 1-800-Atlantis or battle4atlantis.com.