July 29, 2013
- 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis Bracket
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s basketball team will open the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis holiday tournament against Xavier on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28. The game will be televised in primetime beginning at 6 p.m. (CT) on NBC Sports Network.
The Hawkeyes’ second-round contest will be against either UTEP or Tennessee, pending the outcome of first round games.
Along with Iowa, the eight-team field features Kansas, Tennessee, Villanova, USC, Wake Forest, UTEP, and Xavier. The tournament will be held, Nov. 28-30, at the Atlantis Royal Towers Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. 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.
The Hawkeyes and Muskateers have met twice previously, most recently at the 2010 Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands where Xavier beat Iowa, 86-73. The Hawkeyes beat the Muskateers in the first meeting, 33-28, in 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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 that seats 3,900 fans, 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.
Battle 4 Atlantis 2013 ticket and travel packages can be booked by calling 1-800-Atlantis or battle4atlantis.com.
Fans are encouraged to check their cable or satellite provider for channel number in their area. Both channels are typically offered via digital sport packages. After the opening round, all winners’ bracket games will be on NBS Sports Network, while the loser’s bracket games will be on AXS TV.
The remainder of Iowa’s schedule will be released later this summer.
Thursday, Nov. 28
Kansas vs. Wake Forest – 2:30 p.m. (CT) – AXS-TV
Villanova vs. USC – 12 p.m. (CT) – AXS-TV
Iowa vs. Xavier – 6 p.m. (CT) – NBCSN
Tennessee vs. UTEP – 8:30 p.m. (CT) – NBCSN