Preview: Indiana Hoosiers take on the Louisville Cardinals in Battle 4 Atlantis

The No. 14 Indiana Hoosiers are off to a 4-0 start this season and hope to remain undefeated as they start round one in the Battle 4 Atlantis today against Louisville in the Bahamas.

Indiana has won all of their games by at least double figures, including an 87-71 victory over South Carolina. The Hoosiers are lead by Mackenzie Mgbako a sophomore forward who averages 18.8 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Indiana is averaging 81.5 points per game on offense and their defense is giving up 61.3 points per game on the defensive side of the ball. The offense is ranked 96th in the league while the defense is ranked 30th.

Mike Woodson and IU have preached fundementals, dominating in the paint and rebounding and they have done that all year. IU has in a clear advantage in all three phases of those areas but Louisville is not going to go down without a fight.

Louisville has played well heading into Battle 4 Atlantis they have won two games in a row, including wins over Winthrop and Bellarmine.

The Cards problem is their offense, when they played a ranked Tennessee team they struggled shooting from the 3 point line shooting only 20% and scoring only 55 points while giving up 77, which were mostly in the paint. Louisville only gives up 62.8 points per game which ranks 37th in the nation.

Senior guard Reyne Smith leads the team in scoring 14.8 points per game, shooting 42.1% (16-of-38) from the 3-point line. Smith is one of five Louisville players scoring double-digit points per game.

A win will most likely result in a matchup with the favorites the No.3 Gonzaga Bulldogs. The University of West Virginia will try and pull up the upset but the Zags are heavy favorite. If the Hoosiers advance to play the Bulldogs in the semi-finals, it will probably be Indiana’s toughest test of the season.

Indiana takes on Louisville in the Battle 4 Atlantis at noon ET on Wednesday (today), Nov. 27, at the Imperial Ballroom. The game will be broadcast on ESPN with Beth Mowins (pxp) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) on the call.