TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabama’s men’s basketball team traveled to The Bahamas on Monday and will play in three games in three days this week in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

The Crimson Tide (2-2) will open the annual invitational by playing No. 6 North Carolina on Wednesday, Nov. 27. Depending on the outcome of that game, Alabama will face either Iowa State or Michigan on Thanksgiving and then play in a third game on Friday, Nov. 29.

Altogether, the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis field includes four teams ranked in the latest AP Poll in No. 6 North Carolina, No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 11 Oregon and No. 13 Seton Hall. The Tide, Cyclones, Wolverines and Southern Miss Golden Eagles round out what is a loaded tournament.

“I think these games are big,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said. “You look at a Carolina, you look at Michigan or Iowa State or Gonzaga, Oregon, Seton Hall, they’re all quality teams.

“If you’re going to try to compete in the SEC, you’re going to have to beat teams comparable to these high-level teams here. I think it’s good to play them early to kind of get exposed on some stuff. Hopefully, we can get some wins there and get some confidence that we can beat teams that are comparable to teams at the top of our league. I like it.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have scheduled quite as hard as we did outside of this tournament, but I do like getting in big tournaments like this and then next year there in Maui, that’ll be a quality field. I think every year, we’d like to play in a quality tournament where they’ve got eight high-level, quality teams and we get three really good games.”

This will mark the Crimson Tide’s first appearance in the event, which began in 2011. It will also be the first time Alabama and North Carolina have met on the hardwood since the second round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament -- a 64-55 win for the Tar Heels. UA and UNC will play for the 12th time in series history Wednesday afternoon. Carolina owns a 7-4 lead in the series.

Alabama will be an underdog in this game and in the tournament overall. After all, an SEC team has never won the Battle 4 Atlantis. But the Tide players are looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s going to be a good experience,” guard Kira Lewis said. “We’re excited. Great tournament, great teams, so we’re looking forward to it. You’re playing against the top competition in college basketball on a big stage. We’re just grateful for the invitation and just getting prepared for it.”

Added forward Javian Davis, “I’m amped, my team’s amped. There’s big teams down there, and that’s what we want. We want to come out hard, play aggressively and make our mark. So, I feel like it’s a great trip for us just for playing and just for experience.”

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats

Along with playing in its fifth, sixth and seventh games of the 2019-20 season, Alabama will also celebrate Thanksgiving while in Paradise Island, Bahamas. While out of the country, Oats and his team have plans to do some community service before the tournament tips off.

“There’s an orphanage where some of the kids that got misplaced in the hurricane got brought there, so we’re going to go ... visit them for a short period of time. I believe it’s Tuesday morning,” Oats said. “… When we went to Ireland, we did some community service. My team at Buffalo has been to Ireland and some different places. We try to make it a little bit educational.

“It’s not just going to a different country or somewhere else and not see the culture or go out and do something. So, we’re going to try to do a little bit of community service. After that, though, when you’ve got three games in three days, you kind of want to buckle down and play some games.”

Alabama-North Carolina will tip off at 1:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday and will air on ESPN.

FIRST UP: SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA

-- North Carolina enters the contest against Alabama with a perfect 4-0 record, including a 1-0 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. Most recently, the Tar Heels captured a 75-61 victory over Elon on Nov. 20 – the team’s fourth straight double-digit victory to start the season.

-- North Carolina enters the tournament with an impressive +13.7 scoring margin (76.0-62.3) and a +19.5 advantage on the boards (51.3-31.8). In fact, Carolina ranks second in the nation in rebounding margin, second nationally in defensive rebounds per game (36.25) and third in the country in total rebounds per game (51.3). In addition to its rebounding advantage, the Tar Heels are shooting 42.6 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from beyond the arc and 62.1 percent from the charity stripe.

-- Four UNC players average eight or more rebounds per game entering its game against Alabama, each of which are the top four scorers on this year’s team. Leading the way is freshman standout Cole Anthony, who tops the team with 22.8 points, 4.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 35.1 minutes per game, while also adding 8.0 rebounds a contest. Junior forward Garrison Brooks is second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg), while freshman Armando Bacot (10.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and graduate Justin Pierce (9.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg) share the team lead in rebounding while ranking third and fourth on the team, respectively in scoring average.

-- Hall of Fame head coach Roy Williams is now in his 17th season at the helm of the North Carolina program, having won 456 of his 589 games he has coached (456-133, .774). Over his 32 years as a collegiate head coach, Williams has amassed a record of 874-234 (.789) which includes 15 seasons as the head coach at Kansas University.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).