Report: 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis to be played in South Dakota

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by Brian Geisinger Monday September 14, 2020

Report: 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis to be played in South Dakota

Miami guard Kameron McGusty (23) prepares to pass past Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr. (0) during the first half an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

According to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament will have a new location, due to complications with the COVID-19 pandemic: The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

There’s a strong eight-team field for the event, which is headlined by Duke out of the ACC. Normally, the Battle 4 Atlantis takes place in Nassau, Bahamas the week of Thanksgiving.

The Sanford Pentagon, which is home to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League (Miami Heat affiliate), will be allowed to have a small number of fans — with social distancing guidelines in place.

Sources: The 2020 Battle 4 Atlantis will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota. Dates are TBD.

Field includes Duke, West Virginia, Memphis, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Utah, Creighton, and Wichita State.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 14, 2020

Dates for the event are currently TBD; however, that could change soon. According to Rothstein, dates will be selected after the NCAA announces the official start/timeline for the 2020-21 college basketball season. That should come this Wednesday (Sept. 16), following the much-anticipated Division I Council meeting.

Over the last few weeks, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski has been vocal about the importance of ensuring that the 2021 NCAA Tournaments take place; Coach K was also the leader of the ACC’s proposal to have all 340+ Division I teams make the 2021 tournament. (According to Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president of basketball, the NCAA isn’t currently considering tournament scenarios that involved expanding the 68-team field).