UConn to play Auburn in Battle 4 Atlantis' opening round

Neill Ostrout, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·2 min read

Jul. 28—The UConn men's basketball team will face off against Auburn in its first game as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis this season in the Bahamas.

The matchups for the tournament, which takes place Nov. 24-26 at the Atlantis resort in Nassau, were announced Wednesday.

The Huskies will face the Tigers Nov. 24 at 2:30 p.m. in the resort's Imperial Arena. It's the second game of the event's opening doubleheader, with a battle between Michigan State and Loyola-Chicago preceding it.

Syracuse plays VCU, and defending national champion Baylor takes on Arizona State in the first day's late games.

The tournament continues on Thanksgiving Day, with UConn facing either Michigan State or Loyola at either noon or 2:30 p.m.

The tourney's championship game is set for Nov. 26 at 11 a.m., with consolation games at 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7 p.m.

UConn is on the opposite side of the bracket of two teams that would create intriguing matchups. Obviously, Husky fans would enjoy renewing their old Big East rivalry with Syracuse.

In addition, Arizona State is coached Bob Hurley, the brother of UConn coach Dan Hurley. The Hurley brothers, however, are by all accounts not interested in facing off against one another.

UConn has one win in its three previous games against Auburn. In the last meeting, which was Dec. 23, 2017, Auburn demolished the Huskies 89-64.

The Huskies are 4-3 in their history against Michigan State, while they have never met Loyola.

UConn has faced Syracuse 95 previous times, winning 39 of those games.

This is UConn's third appearance in the Atlantis event. It finished third in 2011, the tourney's first year, and finished fourth in 2015.

Neill covers UConn men's basketball and UConn football teams, and he keeps a finger on the pulse of Connecticut sports. For live game updates, and more insight into UConn athletics, player transfers, and team changes, follow Neill on Twitter: @NeillOstrout, Facebook: JINeillO, and Instagram: @NeillOstrout.