Battle 4 Atlantis Preview: Team Profiles, Bracket, Players To Watch

The 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis features three ranked teams, a pair of first-year head coaches and plenty of intriguing matchups in the Bahamas.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Myles Rice (1) brings the ball up the court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Teams from all around the country travel to the Bahamas this week for the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Annually one of the marquee nonconference tournaments, this year’s Battle 4 Atlantis field features three top-25 teams: No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Indiana and No. 24 Arizona. That creates a potential reunion in the championship game between Gonzaga coach Mark Few and Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, an assistant under Few for 20 years.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson looks to lead his alma mater back to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. He revamped the Hoosiers with talented transfers like Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo and Kanaan Carlyle, who’ve earned starting roles in their first seasons at Indiana.

A pair of first-year coaches will also get a chance to showcase their teams on a national stage, with Pat Kelsey coaching Louisville and Darian DeVries leading West Virginia. Kelsey led a successful College of Charleston to two NCAA Tournament appearances, and DeVries had similar success at Drake.

Providence coach Kim English and Oklahoma coach Porter Moser also are in the early stages of their tenure at new schools, and this week gives them a chance to pick up quality wins in hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Davidson coach Matt McKillopp succeeded his father, Bob, who coached the Wildcats from 1989-2022, including an Elite Eight run with Steph Curry.

The Battle 4 Atlantis is set to begin at noon ET Wednesday and conclude with a final game at 8:30 p.m. ET Friday. All games will be played at the Imperial Ballroom in Paradise Islands, Bahamas and air on ESPN networks.

Here’s the full bracket, plus a look at each team’s record, leading scorers, season outlook, notable stats and more.

2024 Battle 4 Atlantis bracket. / Battle4Atlantis.com

Louisville Cardinals

• Record: 3-1 (76-61 win over Winthrop, 100-68 win over Bellarmine, 77-55 loss to Tennessee, 93-45 win over Morehead State).
• Leading scorers: G Reyne Smith 14.8 ppg, F Kaysean Pryor 12.8 ppg, G Terrence Edwards Jr. 12.3 ppg, G Chucky Hepburn 10.5 ppg, G J’Vonne Hadley 10 ppg.
• Head coach: Pat Kelsey is in his first year at Louisville. He coached the previous three seasons at College of Charleston, where he went 75-27 and made the NCAA Tournament twice. 
• Season outlook: Louisville was picked to finish ninth out of 18 teams in the preseason ACC poll and has not been ranked this season. After going 12-52 in two seasons under former coach Kenny Payne, Louisville completely rebuilt its roster with 13 transfers and one freshman. 
• Notable stat: The Cardinals rank sixth nationally with 34 3-point attempts per game, but they rank 303rd in 3-point shooting at 29.4%.
• The path: Louisville plays Indiana Wednesday, followed by Gonzaga or West Virginia on Thursday. 

Indiana Hoosiers

• Record: 4-0 (69-58 win over UNC Greensboro, 87-71 win over South Carolina, 90-55 win over Eastern Illinois, 80-61 win over SIUE).
• Leading scorers: F Mackenzie Mgbako 18.8 ppg, G Myles Rice 14.8 ppg, F Malik Reneau 13.5 ppg, C Oumar Ballo 12 ppg. 
• Head coach: Mike Woodson is in his fourth season at Indiana with a 67-40 record. He has led the Hoosiers to two NCAA Tournament appearances, going as far as the Round of 32. 
• Season outlook: Indiana was picked to finish second out of 18 teams in the preseason Big Ten poll. The Hoosiers were ranked No. 17 in the preseason AP poll and rose to No. 14 heading into this tournament. With South Carolina as its lone high-major opponent in nonconference play outside the Battle 4 Atlantis, Indiana needs to pick up a few quality wins this week.
• Notable stat: Opponents have shot just 35.4% from the field against Indiana this season, placing the Hoosiers’ defense 14th nationally.
• The path: Indiana plays Louisville Wednesday, followed by Gonzaga or West Virginia on Thursday.

West Virginia Mountaineers

• Record: 3-1 (86-43 win over Iona, 86-62 loss to Pittsburgh, 75-69 win over UMass, 87-59 win over Robert Morris).
• Leading scorers: G Javon Small 15.5 ppg, G Tucker DeVries 13.5 ppg, G Jonathan Powell 12 ppg.
• Head coach: Darian DeVries is in his first season at West Virginia after a six-year run at Drake, where he went 150-55 and reached the NCAA Tournament three times. He was named Missouri Valley Coach of the Year twice.
• Season outlook: West Virginia was picked to finish 13th out of 16 teams in the preseason Big 12 poll. The Mountaineers have not been ranked this season. DeVries replenished the roster with eight transfers and three freshmen going into his first season, including his son, Tucker, who led Drake in scoring the last two years. 
• Notable stat: West Virginia ranks 24th nationally with 10.8 3-pointers made per game and sixth with seven blocks per game. 
• The path: West Virginia plays Gonzaga Wednesday, followed by Indiana or Louisville on Thursday.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

• Record: 5-0 (84-41 win over Long Beach State, 80-67 win over San Diego State, 113-54 win over UMass Lowell, 88-80 win over Arizona State, 101-63 win over Baylor).
• Leading scorers: F Graham Ike 14.6 ppg, G Khalif Battle 14.4 ppg, F Braden Huff 14 ppg, G Ryan Nembhard 12.2 ppg, Nolan Hickman 11.2 ppg.
• Head coach: Mark Few is in his 26th season at Gonzaga, with a 721-143 overall record. The Bulldogs have six Elite Eight appearances and two Final Four appearances under Few, who has been named Naismith National Coach of the Year twice.
• Season outlook: Gonzaga was picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, receiving nine out of 11 first-place votes. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP poll and jumped to No. 3 in the latest poll after a dominant start. Ike and Nembhard were named to the preseason Naismith Player of the Year Award watch list.
• Notable stat: Gonzaga is averaging 93.2 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally, while holding its opponents to 61 points per game, good for 26th nationally. 
• The path: Gonzaga plays West Virginia Wednesday, followed by Indiana or Louisville on Thursday.

Oklahoma Sooners

• Record: 4-0 (84-56 win over East Texas A&M, 85-64 win over Stetson, 73-57 win over Northwestern State, 93-60 win over Lindenwood).
• Leading scorers: F Jalon Moore 18.8 ppg, G Jeremiah Fears 15.5 ppg, G Duke Miles 12 ppg, G Kobe Elvis 11 ppg, G Brycen Goodline 11 ppg.
• Head coach: Porter Moser is in his fourth season at Oklahoma with a 58-45 overall record. The Sooners have yet to reach the NCAA Tournament under Moser, and finished seventh or lower in the Big 12 in each of his first three seasons. Moser led Loyola-Chicago to the 2018 Final Four.
• Season outlook: In its first season in the SEC, Oklahoma was picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams. The Sooners have not played a high-major opponent yet, but they’ve won their first four games by 16-plus points to begin a critical fourth season under Moser.
• Notable stat: Oklahoma has kept opponents off the free throw line, with just 12.8 attempts per game, which ranks 12th nationally,
• The path: Oklahoma plays Providence Wednesday, followed by Davidson or Arizona on Thursday.

Providence Friars

• Record: 5-0 (74-48 win over Delaware State, 79-65 win over Green Bay, 60-51 win over Hampton, 76-49 win over Stonehill, 59-55 win over Central Connecticut State).
• Leading scorers: G Bensley Joseph 11.8 ppg, G Jayden Pierre 10.6 ppg, G Corey Floyd Jr. 9.4 ppg.
• Head coach: Kim English is in his second season at Providence with a 26-14 record. Providence finished sixth in the Big East and missed the NCAA Tournament in his first season. He was previously the head coach at George Mason, where he went 34-29 in two seasons. 
• Season outlook: Providence was picked to finish sixth out of 11 teams in the preseason Big East poll. The Friars have not been ranked this season. Bryce Hopkins, a preseason Naismith Player of the Year watch list member, has not played this season as he recovers from a torn ACL.
• Notable stat: Providence ranks 23rd nationally with a 60.8% 2-point field goal percentage and 13th with 44 rebounds per game.
• The path: Providence plays Oklahoma Wednesday, followed by Davidson or Arizona on Thursday.

Davidson Wildcats

• Record: 4-0 (93-66 win over VMI, 76-60 win over ETSU, 91-85 win over Bowling Green, 88-47 win over Peace College).
• Leading scorers: F Reed Bailey 19 ppg, F Bobby Durkin 16.8 ppg, G Connor Kochera 16 ppg, G Zach Laput 10.8 ppg. 
• Head coach: Matt McKillop is in his third season at Davidson with a 35-33 record. Davidson finished eighth and 13th in the Atlantic 10 during his first two seasons and did not make the NCAA Tournament. McKillop was an assistant at Davidson from 2008-22. 
• Season outlook: Davidson was picked to finish 12th out of 15 teams in the preseason Atlantic 10 poll. The Wildcats return two double-digit scorers from last season. During its 4-0 start, two wins have come by six points. Bailey was named preseason third-team All-Atlantic 10.
• Notable stat: Davidson ranks 29th nationally with 87 points per game and 30th with 18.8 assists per game. 
• The path: Davidson plays Arizona Wednesday, followed by Oklahoma or Providence on Thursday.

Arizona Wildcats

• Record: 2-2 (69-55 loss to Duke, 103-88 loss to Wisconsin, 102-44 win over Old Dominion, 93-64 loss to Canisius).
• Leading scorers: G Jaden Bradley 15.5 ppg, G KJ Lewis 12.3 ppg, G Caleb Love 10.3 ppg.
• Head coach: Tommy Lloyd is in his fourth season at Arizona with a 90-22 record, two regular season Pac-12 titles and one conference tournament title. The Wildcats have earned a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament each season under Lloyd but have not made it past the Sweet 16. Lloyd was previously an assistant coach at Gonzaga.
• Season outlook: In its first season in the Big 12, Arizona was picked to finish fifth out of 16 teams, but it received one first-place vote. The Wildcats were ranked as high as No. 9 this year, but they fell to No. 24 this week, following losses to Wisconsin and Duke.
• Notable stat: Arizona ranks second nationally with 17.8 offensive rebounds per game and 48th with 84.5 points per game.
• The path: Arizona plays Davidson Wednesday, followed by Oklahoma or Providence on Thursday.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• AP TOP 25 POLL: Indiana is ranked No. 14 in the latest AP Top 25 poll ahead of its trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. CLICK HERE

• 2024-25 SCHEDULE: Here's the full 2024-25 Indiana men's basketball schedule, including game times, location and television designations. This file will be updated throughout the season. CLICK HERE

• JACK'S TAKE: Bryson Tucker scored 14 points off the bench in Thursday’s win over UNC Greensboro, stepping up at a critical time when other Indiana guards and wings were struggling. CLICK HERE