SB Nation Boston - Battle 4 Atlantis 2011: Harvard Crowned As Atlantis Champs, UConn Holds On Against Seminoles

The Takeaway From A Weekend In Paradise For New England's Finest

2011-11-27T19:27:07Z

Harvard, UConn and UMass all left the mainland earlier this week undefeated but only one team returns to the region with an unblemished record and a Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament Title. Every college coach always talks about the value of early-season tournaments in learning about their teams, so we took a look at what insight each coach may have gained from their stay in the Bahamas.

Many people viewed Harvard as a threat to potentially ruin a Florida State-UConn final, but few projected the Crimson to come away with the first-ever Battle 4 Atlantis title. Tommy Amaker's group dispatched Utah, Florida State and Central Florida on their way to the title and their first 6-0 record since the 1984-85 season.

Harvard Crimson

1. Harvard's defense is even better this year. In 30 games last season the Crimson kept opponents to 49 points or fewer just twice, they pulled the feat off three times this weekend alone. The Crimson rank ninth in the nation in opponent's points per game at 52 points, including a first half average of just 24 points.

Amaker's squad has held opponents to 41 percent shooting, 30 percent from behind the arc and it has even carried over to the free throw line where opponents have shot a paltry 58 percent. As the Ivy League co-champions a year ago, the Crimson allowed 64 points per game and opponents shot 43 percent from the field. If the team can continue bearing down on opponents with more and more players getting involved in the rotation, Harvard could be unstoppable against league opponents.

2. Kyle Casey has taken some major steps forward in his development. The Medway, Massachusetts native averaged 10 points over the weekend and led the team in scoring and rebounding against Central Florida in the title game. For most of his time in Cambridge he has been overshadowed by Keith Wright, but Casey was given a lot of praise by preseason publications and has shown he deserves it.

Last year Casey struggled in some of the team's biggest games, including just seven points and four rebounds against Princeton in the Ivy League deciding game. This year he's finished in double-figures in four of the team's six games, is the second leading scorer and has asserted himself taking a team-high 49 shots. Few teams in the Ivy League or on the Crimson schedule can boast a duo as strong as Casey and Wright inside.

UConn Huskies

1. The biggest take from the Bahamas for Jim Calhoun is how badly his team is in need of some leadership and maturity. Junior forward/center Alex Oriakhi tweeted not once, but twice over the weekend supposedly expressing his frustration with Calhoun this weekend. The talented co-captain has struggled mightily this season and as the elder statesmen on a young squad is setting a horrible example.

On the court there are just as many concerns. Jeremy Lamb, the team's best talent and a preseason All-American, looked tentative at points over the weekend and is not taking control of the game in crunch time. In the team's games on Friday and Saturday, Lamb sat back patiently letting Shabazz Napier run the offense rather than demanding the ball. Napier struggled mightily over the final two games turning the ball over 13 times compared to just 10 assists. After a fantastic first five games, Napier showed his youth, forcing passes and trying to do too much with the ball down the stretch. Talented freshmen Andre Drummon and Ryan Boatright also displayed their inexperience as well over the weekend, missing some key free throws and getting called for sloppy fouls.

2. Boatright is going to be a difference maker right away. After sitting out the first six games of the season, the point guard finished with 14 points, three assists and one rebound in his collegiate debut Saturday against Florida State. Calhoun trusted him enough to put him on the floor in the final minutes and Boatright hit three free throws with seven seconds to play to tie the game and send it to overtime. He not only gives Calhoun another weapon but his presence seemed to spark Napier and Lamb against Florida State. Most importantly, Boatright didn't try to be a hero in his first game out; he picked and chose his spots and looked for teammates early. With Boatright Uconn is a different team, now if only the rest of the Huskies could follow his lead.

UMass Minutemen

1. UMass lived and died by the three-point shot this weekend and ultimately it sent them to their first two losses of the year. Derek Kellogg's new system was meant to speed up the pace of the game and create more open looks for the Minutemen, but the team has taken to settling for 3-point shots too often. On the season, UMass is taking 27 3-point shots a game, nine more than they took per game last season. The problem is the team hasn't improved their shooting at all from behind the arc shooting 29.7 percent compared to 29 percent from a year ago.

In their two losses this weekend (Florida State, College of Charleston), UMass hit just 6-of-51 attempts (11 percent) and lost by twenty points or more. In their win against Utah the Minutemen hit 15 of their thirty attempts to cruise past Utah. If UMass wants to give themselves a chance to win every game, the Minutemen are going to need to push the ball inside the paint more often and avoid falling in love with the 3-point shot.

2. Unfortunately for Kellogg the other big take from the weekend is that Chaz Williams is mortal. The Hofstra transfer has been the most electrifying player in the region thus far but showed his mortality in the team's losses. In the team's loss against the Seminoles, Williams struggles were understandable. The immense Florida State bigs continually blocked, altered or enveloped Williams and his shots.

Saturday's issues were a bit harder to pinpoint. Williams hit just 2-of-9 shots, turned the ball over three times and failed to record an assist for the first time this season. Three games in three days is a lot for anyone especially a player not having played in a year but Williams was unable to provide his regular spark. After hitting over 50 percent of his shots through the first handful of games, Williams is down to 39 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. The rest of the roster has to be more productive and Kellogg may have sit Williams a few more minutes a game, relying on Jesse Morgan to lead the team.

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College of Charleston 85, UMass 61: Cougars Blow Away Minutemen Behind Big Second Half

2011-11-27T03:20:54Z

Derek Kellogg's team has worn down opponent at a thrilling pace this season, Saturday they were the team that ran out of juice. The College of Charleston (5-1) outscored UMass by 20 in the second half en route to an 85-61 victory and fifth place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas.

The Minutemen (5-2) shot just 28 percent in the second half including missing all 12 of their 3-point attempts as they lost their second game in three days after starting the season 4-0.

Cady Lalanne finished with a team-high 12 points for the Minutemen and senior center Sean Carter added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Star point guard Chaz Williams had his worst game thus far in a UMass uniform with eight points and no assists. The sophomore point guard hit just 2-of-9 shots and turned the ball over three times after picking up two fouls within the first five minutes of the first half.

Antwaine Wiggins and Anthony Stitt led the Cougars attack with 23 points apiece and combined to hit eight of the team's 12 3-pointers. Stitt added eight of the team's 17 assists as College of Charleston shot just over 50 percent for the game.

UMass kept it close through the first half, keeping the game within seven, and making some big plays around the basket. At the break, the Cougars led 38-34 but with Williams struggling and the Minutemen unable to hit shots from behind the arc, the game was already out of reach. The College of Charleston went on a 9-0 run halfway through the break behind two threes and would extend their lead to as many as 26.

The Minutemen were inept from behind the arc for the second time in three games hitting just 14 percent of their attempts. In their two losses in the Bahamas, UMass hit just 6-of-51 attempts (11 percent) 3-point attempts.

The Minutemen will be action Thursday in Amherst when they take on Towson University at 7 p.m.

Harvard 59, Central Florida 59: Crimson Prove Defense Wins Championships, Even in Basketball

2011-11-27T00:19:24Z

Harvard entered the Battle 4 Atlantis as a darkhorse who critics expected to potentially compete for a spot in the finals. Tommy Amaker's contigent will leave with the hardware after holding their third consecutive opponent to 49 points or less in a 59-49 victory over Central Florida in the tournament's championship game.

The Crimson jumped out to an 8-1 lead and never allowed the Knights to get closer than five, as they improved to 6-0 on the season. Central Florida (4-2) shot just 33 percent from the field and 1-of-11 from the 3-point line as the Crimson defense proved they could stop anyone, including the progeny of Michael Jordan.

Forwards Kyle Casey and Keith Wright dominated the paint leading the Crimson with 27 points and 16 rebounds between them. While Harvard struggled offensively compared to their first two games in the Bahamas, they took 35 free throws and hit 23 of them, compared to just 8-of-23 shooting from the Knights.

Casey finished with a game-high 15 points and nine rebounds and hit seven of his 12 free throw attempts. A day after coming up with a huge comeback against UConn, Central Florida could never mount a serious fight against Harvard. The Knights struggled to find any kind of offensive rhythm, settling for long jump shots. Leading scorers Keith Clanton and Marcus Jordan finished with 12 and 10 points respectively but hit just 9-of-31 shots.

For the second game in a row, the Crimson held an opponent without a field goal for over five minutes to begin the game. Christian Webster knocked down two 3-pointers to give the Crimson an 8-1 lead at the first media timeout. Showing no signs of fatigue in the first half, Harvard hit 54 percent of their shots and took a 33-18 lead into the break. Struggling to put together a repeat performance, the Knights hit just 25 percent of their attempts and trailed by as many as 17.

Central Florida cut the deficit to as few as nine late in the game but never seriously challenged. Every time the Knights would mount a small rally, Harvard's defense would clamp down and force a poor shot or come up with a key basket inside.

The Crimson will continue their season-long six-game road trip with a road game at Vermont Thursday night at 7 p.m.

UMass vs. College of Charleston: Minutemen Look to Knock Off Cougars

2011-11-26T23:02:51Z

Event: UMass Minutemen (5-1) Vs. College of Charleston Cougars (4-1)

Date/Time: Saturday November 25, 2011-7 p.m. EDT.

Location: Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort (Capacity: 4,500), Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Broadcast Info: Saturday's fifth-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament will be available on HDNet nationally. Radio coverage of the game will be available on 1510 AM in Boston with Josh Maurer and Tim Kenney on the call.

Last Time Out: UMass rebounded from their first loss of the season with a 89-75 win over Utah in the team's highest scoring game of the season. The Minutemen knocked down 15 3-pointers, hit fifty percent of their shots and five UMass players finished in double-figures. Jess Morgan led all players with 15 points behind five first half triples and the Minutemen turned 19 Utah turnovers into 31 points in the win.

The Cougars escaped against UNC-Asheville Friday night 68-66 behind eight-straight points from Antwaine Wiggins in the closing minutes for a berth in the fifth-place game Saturday. Wiggins scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and was one of three Cougars in double-digits.

All-Time Series: The two teams have met twice before with the last game coming in 2001. Both games were played in Amherst with the Minutemen winning the first before coming up just short in the second in a 77-75 College of Charleston win.

Storylines: UMass and the College of Charleston were not expected to be playing for the Battle 4 Atlantis championship but both talented squads are eager to add another big win to their resume before they head back to the mainland. The Cougars already boast three wins against teams that played in the NCAA tournament a year ago and UMass has beaten two BCS programs (Boston College and Utah) in under a week.

The contest should be a slight contrast of style as the College of Charleston has tried to slow games down, none of their games have reached the 80 point plateau, while UMass aims to run the fastbreak and pressure opponent's for a full 40 minutes.

A big key could be the team's 3-point shooting. UMass has hit six or more 3-pointers in each of their wins this season including three games of 10 or more treys. In Thursday's loss against Florida State, the Minutemen hit just 2-of-23 attempts as they were frustrated by the Seminoles defense and continued to force longer and longer shots. The Cougars have averaged seven 3-pointers a game and are hitting 36 percent of their shots from behind the arc.

Players To Watch: Chaz Williams transferred to UMass for two things: to play in a system that would benefit him and to win. While Williams struggled against the length of the Seminoles Thursday, he bounced back to have another huge game Friday. With a seemingly endless amount of energy, Williams could play an even bigger part in breaking down the Cougars Saturday.

Several Cougars deserve mention but junior guard Andrew Lawrence will be the most pivotal player for the team. The British product is averaging 13 points per game (second-best) and hitting over fifty percent of his shots. It will be interesting to see if Lawrence can keep his legs under him and continue his hot shooting especially as he tries to guide the offense and slow down Williams.

Prediction: The College of Charleston has played close games all season and have played a number of tough opponents to start the season. Unfortunately for the Cougars, UMass boasts a system that's foreign to most teams in this day and age and can wear down opponents who haven't played in a week, much less their third game in a row.

UMass 79, College of Charleston 69

UConn 78, Florida State 76 OT: Huskies Rebound With Win Over Seminoles

2011-11-26T21:55:01Z

Ryan Boatright stepped to the free throw line with seven seconds remaining and his team trailing by three in his collegiate debut. The freshmen guard promptly hit all three free throws and sparked the #4 Huskies (6-1) in overtime to overcome the #20/22 Seminoles (5-2) 78-76.

Despite giving up a 10-point lead in regulation and having multiple turnovers and missed free throws in overtime, Shabazz Napier's 3-pointer with 68 seconds remaining in overtime gave the Huskies the lead for good and a third place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Napier finished with a game-high 26 points after a season-low four points in Friday's loss to Central Florida. Napier's final three was his sixth of the day and he added five assists in the win that Jim Calhoun described as the team's best performance of the year.

Jeremy Lamb added 19 points and Boatright overcame some questionable fouls down the stretch to finish with 14 points, five of which came in the final seconds of regulation and beginning of overtime. Fellow freshmen Andre Drummond recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds and six blocks to make up for missing three free throws in the final minute of play.

UConn almost fell for the second day in a row after holding a double-digit lead in the second half. The Seminoles trailed 48-38 with 15:08 remaining but went on a 17-7 run to take the lead with under two minutes to go. Leonard Hamilton's team seemingly had the game in hand but the Seminoles missed two free throws in the final minute and Michael Snaer's final shot was too soft from the baseline, sending the game to overtime tied at 71

Snaer led the Seminoles for the third day in a row, as he finished with 20 points on 5-of-14 shooting. Bernard James recorded a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds including a 3-point play with 1:29 to give the Seminoles their only lead of the extra session (76-75).

Twenty-one seconds later, Napier hit his clutch shot and after two missed free throws from Luke Loucks, Snaer's final three to win it was off the mark.

Harvard Vs. Central Florida: Suprising Battle 4 Atlantis Final Sets Up Nicely For Crimson

2011-11-26T13:18:46Z

Event: Harvard Crimson (5-0) Vs. Central Florida Knights (4-1)

Date/Time: Saturday November 26, 2011- 4.30 p.m. EDT.

Location: Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort (Capacity: 4,500), Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Broadcast Info: The Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament Championship Game will be available on Versus nationally. Radio coverage of the game will be available through the Central Florida website courtesy of UCF-IMG Sports Network.

Last Time Out: Harvard survived one of the ugliest basketball games in recent history, to oulast #20/22 Florida State and earn a spot in the finals in the first ever Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. After a first half that saw the teams combine for 28 points (tied for the modern record low), the Crimson came away with a 46-41 victory behind 17 made free throws, all but four of which came in the second half. Central Florida rallied from a 17-point comeback with 16 minutes to remaining to complete the comeback and earn their third ever victory against a ranked opponent with a 68-63 victory over fourth ranked UConn. Keith Clanton and Micheal Jordan's son Marcus both finished with a game-high 20 points and the Knights hit their free throws down the stretch to end the nation's longest winning streak at 16.

Storylines: All of the people who were eager for a Saturday matchup between Florida State and UConn will have to show up a little earlier than they intended Saturday, after a wild afternoon in the Bahamas. Forgotten Central Florida and Harvard, pulled back-to-back upsets at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort, stunning the experts with a victory (Central Florida) and the style of play in their victory (Harvard).

Both team's lock-down defenses bogged down their supposedly more talented and athletic opponents and their offenses had just enough juice from the free throw line to get them to the finish line and a victory. After such a strenuous Saturday and having to play for the third day in a row (first time all season), it will be interesting to see if either team can put together a complete performance Sunday. Harvard should have the advantage. The Crimson regularly have 10 players see significant minutes of action and were able to rest their starters in their blowout win Thursday.

Players to Watch: Senior guard Oliver McNally is the other guy serving as the face of the Crimson. Keith's Wright co-captain is quite the basketball player though, McNally scored the first five points of Friday's game and is the team's third-leading scorer. Add in the fact he's automatic at the free throw line, second on the team in assists and a deadly 3-point shooter and McNally is as likely as anyone to hit the winning basket. With Central Florida likely preoccupied trying to slow down Keith Wright inside, expect McNally to get plenty of open looks from the perimeter, his contributions could be the difference in the game.

Marcus Jordan is more than just the son of a legend, he's turned into quite the basketball player himself. Jordan added a team-high seven rebounds and seven assists and didn't record a turnover against the defending national champion Huskies. The junior guard leads the team in assists, is second in scoring and like his father has a propensity to play well in big games. Expect Jordan to be a handful again Saturday against a slightly less talented backcourt.

Prediction: Neither team was supposed to be in this situation but that doesn't mean it won't turn out to be quite the exciting final. Harvard's ability to slow down the game and beat a Florida State team that had looked good thus far gives them the edge, especially with the fresher legs.

Harvard 61, Central Florida 54

UConn Vs. Florida State: Huskies Look To Salvage Weekend Against Seminoles

2011-11-26T13:16:37Z

Event: #4 UConn Huskies (5-0) Vs. #20/22 Florida State Seminoles (4-1)

Date/Time: Saturday November 25, 2011-2 p.m. EDT.

Location: Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort (Capacity: 4,500), Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Broadcast Info: Saturday's third place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament will be available on Versus nationally. Radio coverage of the game will be available throughout Connecticut and online on the WTIC/UConn Radio Network. Joe D'Ambrosio and and Wayne Norman will have the call of the game.

Everyone who has watched UConn this year knew it was coming, they just didn't expect it to happen this weekend, not against Central Florida. After a sluggish start to the season, Jim Calhoun expressed his frustration with his squad's performance Friday and his dissapointment Saturday after a 68-63 loss to Central Florida.

"I can't be more disappointed in how we played," Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said in his press conference. "We just stopped playing. We couldn't even get the ball inbounded near the end. Nobody stepped up and it was a complete disaster for us."

After holding what seemed to be a comfortable 17-point lead early in the second half, the Huskies couldn't keep it up against the Knights.

Sophomore guards Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier who had carried the team through the first five games, had their worst games of the season. Lamb had a team-high 15 points but shot just 5-of-16 from the field and Napier turned the ball over seven times while scoring a season-low four points.

Saturday's matchup could be just what Calhoun was hoping for, with a chance for redemption less than 24 hours later against one of the best teams in the ACC. Florida State fell in the second semifinal 46-41 against the suffocating defense of Harvard. The Seminoles missed their first fifteen field goal attempts and finished with just 17 made field goals.

Leonard Hamilton's team is projected to be a top-three team in the ACC conference and boasts a frontcourt that has seven players at 6'8" or taller.They are led by junior Michael Snaer who averages a team-high 11.8 points per game and senior forward Bernard James who is averaging just shy of a double-double.

Prediction: Neither team will leave with a title but Saturday's third-place game will provide a great chance for both teams to improve their resume. Neither team had lost yet this year and it will be interesting to see which team can respond more effectively. As well as Florida State played Friday, expect Jim Calhoun to put a fire under his squad with Napier and Lamb terrorizing the inexperienced Seminoles ball handlers.

UConn 81, Florida State 72

UMass 90, Utah 75: Minutemen Outpace Utes in Battle 4 Atlantis

2011-11-26T04:49:01Z

What a difference 24 hours can make. A day after being held to 53 points against Florida State, the Minutemen (5-1) posted 90 points, hit 15 3-pointers and hit fifty percent of their shots in a 90-75 victory over Utah (1-4).

Jesse Morgan led five UMass players in double figures as he hit five threes in the first half to give the Minutemen a 44-35 lead at the break. Point guard Chaz Williams added 14 points, seven assists and five steals as he outran a beleagured Utah side.

Javorn Farrell and Freddie Riley both chipped in 13 points and Raphaiel Putney had another big game with 12 points, after suffering an early-season injury. Senior Sean Carter finished with a team-high seven rebounds and six points in the winning effort.

Despite allowing the Utes to hit 60 percent of their attempts from the field and fifty percent from behind the arc, UMass held a double-digit lead for much of the game because of their defense and three-point shooting. Utah turned the ball over 19 times leading to 31 Minutemen points, the Utes scored just six points off 11 UMass turnovers.

Long-distance shooting was a struggle for Derek Kellogg's squad Thursday, but the Minutemen 15-of-30 attempts compared to just six Utah treys.

Josh Watkins led the Utes with 16 points, seven assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes of play. Two other Utes finished in double-figures in the losing effort, that saw the Utah drop its fourth game in a row.

The win pushes UMass into the Battle 4 Atlantis Fifth Place Game against the College of Charleston Saturday at 7 p.m.