Battle 4 Atlantis 2016: Teams, Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket, TV Info

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Several traditional college hoops powerhouses will take the floor, as well as some of the nation's best small schools, when the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis kicks off Wednesday.

Louisville and Michigan State headline a talented group of eight teams that make up the final round of this tournament. However, the Cardinals and Spartans could have a tough time reaching the championship game due to the threats posed by a few other schools.

Let us take a look at the tournament schedule and television information. A large portion of the games will be broadcast on AXS TV, and you can discover where to find that channel on the provider's website. A full tournament bracket can be found at AtlantisBahamas.com.

Michigan State is one of the most talented teams in the nation and an obvious favorite this week in the Bahamas. Yet the Spartans are fortunate to even be a part of the eight-team group.

In a tournament preliminary game, Michigan State squeaked by Florida Gulf Coast 78-77 at home thanks to a clock error that erased the road team's game-winning shot attempt. ESPN provided a look at the play, as it appears the clock started running as the ball was put into play:

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This continued a discouraging early trend for the Spartans, who are playing well below what their talent level suggests. The team lost its first two games of the year to Arizona and Kentucky, including a 21-point drubbing to the Wildcats in which the Spartans scored just 48 points.

Top freshman Miles Bridges paces Michigan State. The explosive athlete leads the team in minutes played per night and points, rebounds and blocks per game. Eron Harris is also putting up solid numbers, but the Spartans need more from Josh Langford (5.3 PPG), Matt McQuaid (6.8 PPG) and Lourawls Nairn Jr. (2.3 PPG) to win the Battle 4 Atlantis.

On the other hand, Louisville has started strong, albeit against much weaker competition. The Cardinals are 3-0 by beating Evansville, Long Beach State and William & Mary by an average of 32 points.

Jaylen Johnson leads the way, as he is averaging 15.3 points per game to go with 11.3 rebounds. Johnson is a versatile power forward who is a matchup problem for opposing front lines. He is joined by an athletic wing in Deng Adel, who averages 11 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Given the fast, high-tempo style Louisville plays, this team's size and athleticism make it the favorite to win this tournament, especially since Michigan State is still finding its game. Yet a few other teams could also make some noise in the Bahamas.

Baylor looks like a possible Big 12 contender with its early-season play. The Bears notched a huge victory last week over the Oregon Ducks, winning 66-49 behind some stellar defense, per Baylor athletics:

Head coach Scott Drew's team also boasts phenomenal athleticism, but can it sustain its high shooting percentage? Baylor is hitting 47 percent of its field goals, which is much higher than its season average in the previous three years. If the Bears can continue to knock down outside jumpers, this will create more space for point guard Manu Lecomte to penetrate the lane and find open teammates.

LSU could also pull off an upset. The Tigers have two talented scorers in Antonio Blakeney and Duop Reath, but they need to prove they have enough quality guard play to compete with teams like Louisville.

Do not forget about Virginia Commonwealth and Wichita State, either. Both teams have shown in the past they can compete with the nation's top programs, so do not be surprised if one of these two throws a twist in the Battle 4 Atlantis bracket.

Statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.