Indiana To Play Louisville In Battle 4 Atlantis Opening Game

Gonzaga or West Virginia will be on-tap after that for Hoosiers on Thanksgiving Day in the Bahamas.

Nov 20, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Malik Reneau (5) is guarded by Louisville Cardinals guard Tre White (22) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana men’s basketball team will have a familiar foe to open the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in November.

The bracket for the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis was announced on Wednesday. The Hoosiers will play in the first game on the first day of the three-game tournament against Louisville at the Imperial Arena, a ballroom converted into a basketball venue at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

Tipoff for the contest against the Cardinals will be at noon on Nov. 27 and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

The official bracket for the 2024 @badboymowers Battle 4 Atlantis Men's Tournament is here!

Join us in November at @atlantisbahamas & on the networks of @espn as @ArizonaMBB, @DavidsonMBB, @ZagMBB, @IndianaMBB, @LouisvilleMBB, @OU_MBBall, @PCFriarsmbb, @WVUhoops compete! pic.twitter.com/hMzRwtgc7x

— Battle 4 Atlantis (@B4AOfficial) August 21, 2024

The Indiana-Louisville game is the only first-round contest at Battle 4 Atlantis that is guaranteed to be played on ESPN’s flagship network. Any games in the tournament not broadcast on ESPN will be carried by ESPN2.

After the Louisville contest, Indiana will play either Gonzaga or West Virginia.

If Indiana defeats Louisville, the winner’s bracket contest will take place at noon on Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving Day) against the winner of the Gonzaga-West Virginia game. If Indiana falls to Louisville, it will be the loser of the Gonzaga-West Virginia game at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 28.

Indiana will play a third game on Nov. 29 against one of Arizona, Davidson, Oklahoma or Providence. The championship game is scheduled to be played at 5:30 p.m. on Black Friday.

Nov 20, 2023; New York, NY, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Mackenzie Mgbako (21) shoots the ball as Louisville Cardinals guard Mike James (0) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana and Louisville met in the Hoosiers’ most recent multi-team exempt tournament – the 2023 Empire Classic in New York. The Hoosiers defeated the Cardinals 74-66 at Madison Square Garden.

The Hoosiers have revamped their roster after an underwhelming 19-14 season in 2024. Indiana added center Oumar Ballo (who could face his former team, Arizona) and guards Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford), Luke Goode (Illinois) and Myles Rice (Washington State) as impact transfers from the portal.

Centers Langdon Hatton (Bellarmine) and Dallas James (South Carolina State) were also a part of Indiana's transfer portal infusion.

They join an Indiana team that retained Malik Reneau, Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps and Anthony Leal, all of whom played in the 2024 campaign. Jakai Newton also returns after he missed the 2023-24 due to injury.

Add in freshman forward Bryson Tucker and the Hoosiers feel they have refreshed their team to be improved in the 2024-25 season.

While Indiana re-tooled, Louisville has started over. Pat Kelsey was hired from College of Charleston to revive Louisville’s fortunes after the once-proud Cardinals finished 4-28 and 8-24 in its two seasons with Kenny Payne as head coach.

The Cardinals have none of their starters back from the 2024 squad. The most familiar Louisville transfer to Indiana fans is former Wisconsin guard Chucky Hepburn, who averaged 9.8 points over three seasons with the Badgers.

Indiana is 12-9 all-time against Louisville. The two programs met frequently in the 1980s (five consecutive seasons from 1984-88) and played each other at four different sites in the 2010s. This would be the third time the Hoosiers and Cardinals will meet in a regular season tournament.

The two programs – separated by just 100 miles – have won seven official NCAA championships between them. Louisville’s 2013 championship was later vacated by the NCAA.

The other portion of the bracket features Oklahoma-Providence and Davidson-Arizona in its first-round showdowns.

The last time Indiana won a regular season multi-team event that consisted of more than one game was in the 2021-22 season when the Hoosiers went 3-0 in the Hoosier Classic played at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against a mid-major field.

The last time the Hoosiers won a regular season multi-team event played fully away from home was the Maui Invitational championship won during the 2002-03 season.

Indiana also won the Progressive Legends Classic, played near the start of the 2012-13 season, with the final two games won at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. However, the first two games of that event were played at Assembly Hall.

Battle 4 Atlantis schedule

Wednesday, Nov. 27

Game 1 – Indiana vs. Louisville, 12 p.m. (ESPN).

Game 2 – West Virginia vs. Gonzaga, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2).

Game 3 – Oklahoma vs. Providence, 5 p.m. (ESPN2).

Game 4 – Davidson vs. Arizona, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

Thursday, Nov. 28

Game 5 – Game 1 vs. Game 2 winners, 12 p.m. (ESPN).

Game 6 – Game 1 vs. Game 2 losers, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

Game 7 – Game 3 vs. Game 4 winners, 5 p.m. (ESPN).

Game 8 – Game 3 vs. Game 4 losers, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

Friday, Nov. 29

Game 9 – 7th place game, 11 a.m. (ESPN2).

Game 10 – 3rd place game, 3 p.m. (ESPN2).

Game 11 – championship game, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN).

Game 12 – 5th place game, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN2).

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