Battle 4 Atlantis Becomes Battle 4 South Dakota
The Ohio State Buckeyes were looking forward to one of college basketball's premier tournaments in November as they were signed up to compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Thanks to CoVID-19, that tournament is now unofficially dubbed the Battle 4 South Dakota.
According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, the eight-team tournament that is typically played in the Bahamas each November is now moving to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The tournament dates have not yet been finalized. The dates of the event will be solidified after the NCAA announces college basketball’s official start date following Wednesday’s Division I Council meeting.
Furthermore, Rothstein's source says the event will be allowed to have a small contingent of fans in attendance.
This year's tournament field includes some of the best teams in the country: Duke, West Virginia, Memphis, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Utah, Creighton, and Wichita State.
The news surely arrives with a bittersweet taste. Teams across the country are looking forward to competing this season after last year came to such an abrupt halt. The chance for the season to start on time, in addition to being able to play in front of some fans, is surely met with joy. But telling a group of college basketball players that they're going to play in South Dakota instead of the Bahamas might not be quite as well-received.
Though it is unknown (or if it is, at least not public information) which year the Buckeyes will do so, the team announced last November that they have a tentative agreement in place to compete in the Maui Invitational sometime in the near future. Whenever the Buckeyes head to Hawaii, that tournament field is sure to be loaded.
For the sake of those who will be on the roster for a couple years, after today's news, hopefully that trip to Maui comes sooner than later.
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