PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- The 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis field has a chance to deliver a number of Top 25 teams and rekindle lost rivalries, including one broken up by a bitter conference realignment divorce.
Syracuse, UConn, Michigan, Gonzaga, Texas, Washington, Texas A&M and Charlotte will be in the event Nov. 25-27, 2015, at the resort in the Bahamas, organizers announced Friday during the championship game between Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
Depending on how the organizers match up the teams in the quarterfinals, or if the teams were to meet on the second or third days, there could be an old Big East rivalry, a Big 12/Southwest Conference renewal and a longtime instate affair brought back -- despite in at least two of the instances a failure for the teams to schedule each other since a breakup.
Syracuse and UConn last played when both were members of the Big East in 2013. The old rivals don't have plans to play each other in the future now that they are in the ACC and American Athletic Conference, respectively. Syracuse has started new series with former conference foes St. John's and Villanova, and also will play Georgetown, but not the Huskies. UConn has settled on a home-and-home with the Hoyas, too, but not with the Orange.
Texas and Texas A&M, longtime rivals in the Big 12 and the old Southwest Conference, haven't played since 2012, before the Aggies left for the SEC. There is no scheduling agreement for the two to play.
Gonzaga and Washington had a longtime series that was halted after a meeting in 2006. The schools finally decided to renew the series with a four-year agreement, beginning in 2016. If they were to meet in the Bahamas, it would preempt the new series by one year.
Michigan could end up playing Syracuse for the second straight season if the two were to meet in the Bahamas. The Wolverines host the Orange next week in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Charlotte has had recent success in nonconference tournaments, winning the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in 2013 and reaching the Charleston Classic final last week. Conference USA is the host league of the event and must have a representative in the field each year.