The Battle 4 Atlantis Continues In The Bahamas As North Carolina Faces Alabama
The Battle 4 Atlantis started in Chapel Hill with North Carolina hosting Elon.
On Wednesday afternoon the tournament will continue in Paradise Island in the Bahamas when North Carolina who is ranked sixth in this weeks poll and a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference will face Alabama who is a member of the Southeastern Conference and known for their success on the grid iron. Today though they take on each other on the hardwood.
North Carolina comes into the game with a record of 4-0 while Alabama comes into the game with a record of 2-2.
As for North Carolina’s previous game,
They beat Elon in Chapel Hill.
Those newcomers at No. 5 North Carolina were playing like freshmen — and, really, the upperclassmen were too — during yet another sluggish start. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
The big men took it upon themselves to demand the ball — and dominate down low. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
Armando Bacot had season highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds, Garrison Brooks added 14 points and the slow-starting Tar Heels beat Elon 75-61 on Wednesday night. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
Bacot said coach Roy Williams "talked to me and Garrison and was like, 'We need to dominate in the paint.'" “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
"So we just told all the guards to get the ball and feed us," Bacot added.
As a result, fellow freshman Cole Anthony flirted with North Carolina's first triple-double in 19 years. He finished with nine points, 10 rebounds and a season-high eight assists for North Carolina (4-0), which hasn't had a player with a triple-double since Brendan Haywood and Jason Capel each did it 10 days apart in December 2000. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
And yet, in a sign of how high Anthony's ceiling is, Williams called it a bad night for his star guard, who was 4 of 14 from the field with four turnovers. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
"I've seen some really good players, and he's got a chance to be one of the best I've ever seen," Williams said. "But I also know when good players stink and that was him about half the game." “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
The Tar Heels were 30½-point favorites who a year ago beat Elon on the road by 49 points. They trailed at halftime for the second time this season before opening the second half with a Bacot-led 21-5 run that pushed the lead into double figures, and wound up outrebounding Elon 56-25.”according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
Marcus Sheffield scored 19 points for the Phoenix (2-3), who lost their third straight — all to power-conference schools — while shooting 28% in the second half. Hunter Woods added 18 and his 3-pointer with 2½ minutes left pulled Elon to 68-61. Bacot — who had 18 points in the second half — followed with two buckets to re-establish the Tar Heels' double-figure lead.”according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/11/20/mens-basketball-tar-heels-vs-elon.aspx
Like North Carolina, Alabama won their previous game as they topped Furman.
The Alabama men's basketball team defeated the Furman Paladins, 81-73, Tuesday night at Coleman Coliseum. The Crimson Tide (2-2) used stellar defense and a big second half run to hand the Paladins (4-1) their first loss of the season.
Freshman Jaden Shackelford poured in a season-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, 3-of-8 from deep and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe to lead Alabama. Sophomore Kira Lewis Jr., who entered the game as the team's leading scorer, collected 19 points and seven rebounds to mark his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring effort to begin this season. Junior John Petty Jr. had a season-high 16 points, while redshirt freshman Javian Davis added 10 points to give UA four in double figures. “according to https://rolltide.com/news/2019/11/19/mens-basketball-furman.aspx
After a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes, the Crimson Tide used a 15-6 second half run that turned a 50-50 tie game into a 65-56 advantage with just under four minutes remaining. Alabama knocke”according to https://rolltide.com/news/2019/11/19/mens-basketball-furman.aspx
Tip-off is set for 2:30pm from Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort in Nassau. The game will be televised on ESPN.