Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament brackets revealed for UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams
The UConn women’s basketball team will play Minnesota in its first game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament Nov. 20, while the UConn men will take on Auburn at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 to kick off their run in the Bahamas, tournament organizers announced Wednesday.
The women will then face either USF and Syracuse, both former conference foes, on Nov. 21. Should they advance to the title game, a potential matchup against South Carolina awaits in what would be the first of two regular-season meetings between the powerhouses this season. UConn already has an away trip versus the Gamecocks on the calendar.
Aside from South Carolina, which like UConn fell in the Final Four this past season, the other side of bracket features Oregon, Oklahoma and Buffalo. This will be the inaugural women’s Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament.
Minnesota is coached by legendary point guard Lindsay Whalen and went 8-13 in 2020-21 (7-11 in Big Ten play). USF, whom UConn is 32-0 against all-time, had a strong season before falling to NC State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. After UConn beat Syracuse in the second round of the tournament, The Athletic reported Syracuse’s recent wave of transfers was caused by abusive and inappropriate behavior from coach Quentin Hillsman, who is currently being investigated by the school.
The UConn men will meet either Michigan State or Loyola Chicago in their second game on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25. The championship will take place the day after at 11 a.m. on ESPN, with consolation games set for later in the day. Baylor, the defending national champions, Arizona State, Syracuse and VCU are also in the field. The UConn-Auburn game will also be on ESPN.
Auburn went 13-14 in 2020-21 but advanced to the Final Four in 2019, losing by one point to eventual national champion Virginia. UConn is 1-2 all-time against Auburn, last playing in December 2017.
Resort and ticket packages for UConn fans to the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis women’s tournament can be found here and for the men’s tournament here.
UConn women’s 2021-22 nonconference schedule
Home: Tennessee, Notre Dame
Away: Oregon, South Carolina, Georgia Tech
Neutral: Minnesota, USF or Syracuse and TBD at Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 20-22), Louisville (Dec. 19)
Alexa Philippou can be reached at aphilippou@courant.com
