Gonzaga and Arizona could play each other in 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis

The eight-team field for the 2024 tournament in the Bahamas is loaded with college basketball heavyweights

The Mark Few vs. Tommy Lloyd matchup Gonzaga basketball fans have dreamed of has the potential to go down in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The field of eight teams was revealed Tuesday, and the Bulldogs and Arizona Wildcats are in the tourney.

Per college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Louisville, Indiana, West Virginia, Creighton, Oklahoma and Davidson will join the Zags and Wildcats in the Bahamas. No official announcement for the tournament's dates or bracket has been made yet.

One of the most intriguing potential matchups would reunite Few with his former assistant Lloyd, who spent 20 years at Gonzaga before he accepted the head coaching job at Arizona in 2021. Since then, the Wildcats have gone 61-11 in the regular season, won two Pac-12 tournament championships and have finished each season ranked inside the Associated Press top 10.

Arizona holds a 6-4 record over Gonzaga all-time, though the Zags won the last matchup in Tucson in 2019.

The Zags finished second in the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis. After knocking out Southern Miss in the first round, Gonzaga escaped an overtime thriller in the second round against Oregon and guard Payton Pritchard, who missed what would've been the game-winning jumper in the final seconds.

Unfortunately, a championship bout against Michigan wasn't much of a contest, as Isiah Livers and the Wolverines won handily, 84-62.

The 2024 field could be even more competitive, though. Five of the eight teams made the 2023 NCAA Tournament, and all five are expected to make another postseason run this upcoming season according to early projections.