WRAL Sports Fan

Duke

Blue Devils to face Minnesota in Battle 4 Atlantis opener

Aug 2, 2012

Durham, N.C. — The Duke men's basketball team, making its first appearance in the Battle 4 Atlantis, will open the tournament at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas against Big Ten foe Minnesota on Nov. 22. The opening round game will tip at 3:30 p.m. (ET) and will be shown live on AXS TV.

The second annual Battle 4 Atlantis, the richest Division I Men’s preseason college basketball tournament, features eight teams that have combined for more than 160 NCAA postseason appearances. Duke, a four-time NCAA Champion and the fourth winningest program in NCAA history, is joined in the field by Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, Northern Iowa, Stanford and VCU.

"We are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament," said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "It is obviously a very talented field of teams in which the eventual champion will have been supremely challenged for three straight days. It is our honor to participate in this coming season and to take our basketball program to the Bahamas."

Other opening round games are Missouri vs. Stanford (1 pm - AXS TV), Memphis vs. VCU (7 pm - NBC Sports) and Louisville vs. Northern Iowa (9:30 pm - NBC Sports). The Duke-Minnesota winner will face the winner between Memphis and VCU in the semifinals on Nov. 23.

AXS TV will air coverage of the tournament at 1:00 pm ET and 3:30 pm ET, while NBC Sports will broadcast the daily 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm games starting on November 22 (please check your local listings). AXS TV is available nationally on DirecTV (channel 306), Dish (channel 131), AT&T U-Verse (channel 1106), Verizon FiOS (channel 569) as well as Charter, Comcast Xfinity, Insight, Suddenlink and other TV providers.

“To have secured such a talented field of players for the Battle 4 Atlantis 2012 tournament has succeeded in making this destination the pre-eminent college basketball tournament for years to come. We are excited to have partnered with AXS TV and NBC Sports to broadcast the tournament, allowing us to share this sports experience with millions of fans,” says George Markantonis, President & Managing Director, Kerzner International Bahamas.