The reigning champion Baylor Bears picked up their biggest win of the season Friday, knocking off Michigan State, 75-58, to win the 2021 Battle 4 Atlantis.
The result isn’t too shocking, of course.
No. 6 Baylor is in a significantly better position than the Spartans through November. It has a lineup featuring Adam Flagler and Matthew Mayer in starring roles, a head coach in Scott Drew fresh off proving his doubters wrong last season and the type of program outlook usually reserved for blue bloods.
What made Friday’s win important had little to do with Michigan State at all. It was more about the setting.
The Battle 4 Atlantis has a habit of predicting champions. The winner of the tournament has finished the year cutting down the nets in two of the last three seasons.
Collecting trophies in paradise 🏆🏝#SicEm pic.twitter.com/pGzir6IJkU
— Baylor Athletics (@BaylorAthletics) November 26, 2021
Villanova won in Atlantis in November 2017, then claimed a national title the following March. Virginia did the same in 2018-19.
Baylor def. Michigan State to win the Battle 4 Atlantis.
2 of the last 3 Battle 4 Atlantis champs have gone on to win the Title (2017-18 Villanova & 2018-19 Virginia).
Michigan won in 2019 but didn't get to play for the 2020 title since the NCAA Tournament was canceled pic.twitter.com/BIv9AWxh4r
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 26, 2021
A 19-12 Michigan team was unranked when the Big Ten halted play due to COVID-19 in 2020. Its questionable resume had UM on the NCAA tournament bubble, which could’ve snapped The Bahamas’ streak of producing champions. The Battle 4 Atlantis was scrapped in 2020 amid the pandemic, so Baylor didn’t have a chance to test the theory last year.
The Bears quickly made up for it, running through Arizona State and VCU before finishing off Tom Izzo’s club on Friday.
Now Baylor (+2000 to repeat as champions at Tipico Sportsbook) has the sport’s best omen in their pocket as things keep looking up in Waco.
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