The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

The eight men’s NCAA Division I basketball teams have had an opportunity to adjust to their new surroundings, practiced in the Imperial Arena and prepare to tip-off today in the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis.

The tournament will be headlined by a pair of teams ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll top 25, the Kansas Jayhawks at No. 2 and the Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 23.

The other teams entered include the Villanova Wildcats, Tennessee Volunteers, University of Southern California Trojans, Xavier Musketeers, Wake Forest Demon Deacons and the University of Texas at El Paso Miners.

Wildcats’ head coach Jay Wright said his team is intent on pulling off a few upsets en route to the tournament title. “Honestly we have a lot of people who came down here with us and we talked about the fact that this is a great vacation for them and we just came to play three games in a row against some great competition. We just happen to stay in a beautiful resort while we are doing it,” he said.

“We really want to concentrate on basketball while we are here. We came here to win the tournament. Any tournament you play in, you come to win. And the way you do that is you concentrate on one game at a time.”

Hawkeyes’ head coach Fran McCaffery said his team is approaching the three day-tournament as a “business trip.”

“We want to have fun and at the same time we realise the quality of this field and the challenges before us. We are approaching this as a business trip,” he said. “We’re going to compete, we’re going to do it the right way. Ultimately, be a team that has aspirations to compete at a national level and remain there. I think that’s a challenge. It’s one thing to get here, it’s another thing to remain there.”

Said University of Southern California coach Any Enfield: “We’re with seven other great basketball programmes and teams, great coaches. We are excited to compete at a high level, we are ready to go.”

From the players’ perspective, many were excited about the prospect of playing basketball with the backdrop of an exotic location.

“I’ve been to Brazil, I’ve been to Jamaica, but never to the Bahamas,” said Trojans guard Byron Wesley. “I like it a lot, we haven’t had the chance to do so much but it’s really beautiful and people are extremely nice.”

Trojans centre Omar Oraby said: “I am looking forward to relaxing around the resort, looking around, and experiencing the pools and beaches.”

Wildcats guard Ryan Arcidiacono welcomed the climate change coming from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“This is my first time out of the country,” he said. “It’s nice, it’s a lot warmer than it is at home. We got a little free time last night to walk around and see everything and it is nice.”

Hawkeyes guard Roy Devyn Marble said his team, new to the top 25 poll, will look to make an even bigger statement with a run at the tournament title.

“We prepared in the offseason. Of course, our trip to Europe helped, we’re playing well right now. This is what we need and I think we are ready to step up to the challenge. I think this team is ready to make a big statement. We have confidence in our ability and hopefully we can continue to play like that and show you,” he said. “I’m used to seeing Atlantis commercials and the next thing you now, we are going. I’m more intrigued about the playing field that I am about actually being here.”

B4A Schedule

Thursday, November 28

1pm - Villanova vs Southern California

3:30pm - Kansas University vs Wake Forest

7pm - Xavier vs University of Iowa

9:30pm - University of Texas vs University of Texas at El Paso