Louisville officially set for Battle 4 Atlantis

Jeff Greer | Louisville Courier Journal

It's been known for a while that Louisville basketball would be a part of the eight-team Battle 4 Atlantis field for the 2016 version of the tournament.

On Friday, the field was officially announced.

Louisville will be joined by Baylor, LSU, Michigan State, Old Dominion, St. John's, VCU and Wichita State for the event, which is held every year on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The annual tournament is always held over the week of Thanksgiving, with each team guaranteed three games.

The potential for three quality opponents means Louisville could have one of the most difficult schedules in college basketball next season. In addition to the Battle 4 Atlantis, Louisville will also play Indiana in Indianapolis on New Year's Eve, plus the annual rivalry game against Kentucky and the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

The only other finalized game for the 2016-17 schedule is a trip to Arizona to play Grand Canyon, though coach Rick Pitino said last week that his team's schedule for next season is nearly finished.

The ACC has not announced the league pairings for the 2016-17 schedule yet.