The Battle for Atlantis was played in the ballroom of a Bahamas resort. It featured club lighting, four ranked teams and some really good basketball. In that sense, a final between Oklahoma and Wisconsin was a fitting ending, with the No. 2 Badgers using a huge second-half surge to claim the tournament title with a 69-56 victory on Friday.
Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma final score: Badgers claim Battle for Atlantis title with 69-56 win
The No. 2 Badgers rolled on Friday behind a big game from Frank Kaminsky.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
A talented Sooners team trailed by only one at halftime, but opened up the second half shooting 1-of-9 from the field. Oklahoma still hung around for most of the final 20 minutes, but the Badgers simply proved to be too powerful. Five Wisconsin scorers finished in double-figures, led by 17 points from All-American center Frank Kaminsky.
Wisconsin’s offense gets most of the attention, but the Badger defense stepped up on Friday. Oklahoma was forced into 21 turnovers, which included 12 Wisconsin steals. The victory moves Wisconsin to 7-0, while Oklahoma falls to 4-2.
Here’s what we learned:
1. Wisconsin is who we thought they were.
If there’s a blueprint for beating Kentucky, Wisconsin might have it. That is to say, Wisconsin has size, shooting and enough depth to compete with the anyone in the country.
With a tight seven-man rotation where everyone can put the ball on the floor and shoot from distance, Wisconsin is going to be a matchup nightmare for most teams. That proved to be the case against the Sooners. Sam Dekker (11 points) and Nigel Hayes (10 points) are terrific co-stars alongside Kaminsky, and Duje Dukan (13 points) and Bronson Koenig are valuable pieces off the bench.
Wisconsin is right up there with Duke and Gonzaga as the best-looking teams early in the season this side of the Wildcats. If this November tournament was a taste of what’s to come in the spring, you can bet you’ll be seeing a lot more of Wisconsin on your TV.
2. Oklahoma can’t battle with the big boys just yet.
The Sooners were a trendy pick in the Big 12 as soon as power forward TaShawn Thomas became eligible. Once Kansas started struggling, Oklahoma looked like an even better bet to end the Jayhawks' 10-year streak of domination in the Big 12. But while the Sooners have a lot of nice pieces, they aren't there just yet.
Star guard Buddy Hield struggled on Friday after torching the tournament throughout the week. Hield finished only 2-of-11 from the field for nine points. He wasn't getting much help from Taylor, either, who went for six points and eight rebounds and only took three shots.
One promising note for the Sooners during this final? The performance of junior guard Dinjiyl Walker. Walker came off the bench to score 10 points and helped keep things interesting for a bit in the second half.
3. If Traevon Jackson plays like this, Wisconsin can beat anyone
If Wisconsin has a weakness, it’s that they lack a dynamic lead guard. While Traevon Jackson still has a ways to go, he looked like he could potentially be that guy on Friday. Jimmy Jackson’s kid finished with 13 points and eight assists on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. If Wisconsin gets that type of guard play, look out.
Next up for the Badgers? A Dec. 3 matchup at home against Duke. That’s going to be a good one.
The Battle for Atlantis is going to be a blast in 2015, too:
Next year’s #Battle4Atlantis field: Syracuse, UConn, Michigan, Texas, Gonzaga, Washington, Texas A&M, Charlotte
— Chris Dobbertean (@ChrisDobbertean) November 28, 2014 Not a bad excuse to make your way to the Bahamas for a few days.
See More:
