Battle 4 Atlantis Not Expected to be Played in The Bahamas

Buckeyes were scheduled to be one of eight participating teams.

The Ohio State men’s basketball team will most likely not be making a trip to the Bahamas this coming season, as the Battle 4 Atlantis is expected to be hosted elsewhere be a report from Matt Norlander and CBS Sports.

The Buckeyes were slated to be part of an incredibly strong field in late November that also consisted of Duke, Texas A&M, Memphis, West Virginia, Creighton, Utah and Wichita State. OSU was scheduled to play three games spanning Nov. 25-27 over Thanksgiving in Paradise Island.

Tournament organizers are now exploring other cities to play host, with the new leading preference now apparently being the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Its operations are run in conjunction with Sanford Health, the organization that oversees all COVID-19 testing and protocols for the PGA Tour.

Ohio State’s current schedule reflects three initial home games in Columbus before the Battle 4 Atlantis, followed by the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. However, the NCAA Basketball Oversight Committee recently recommended a November 25 start date.

The Buckeyes are preparing for their fourth season under head coach Chris Holtmann, who has led the program to a solid 66-34 record since arrival. Ohio State made back-to-back NCAA Tournaments to begin his tenure, losing in the second round both times, before this past season was obviously cut short due to the pandemic.

OSU welcomes back some key pieces and will look to blend those returnees with talented newcomers, notably a trio of transfers in Seth Towns, Abel Porter and Justice Sueing.

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