UNI will play in Battle 4 Atlantis in 2017

The Battle 4 Atlantis has only been around for six years but has already become one of the premier early-season college basketball tournaments.

Next year, Northern Iowa will be part of the eight-team field at Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas from Nov. 22-24.

The tournament, which takes place at Imperial Arena -- a ballroom converted into a basketball arena for the week -- is headlined by perennial powers Villanova, the 2016 national champion, and Arizona. Power 5 schools Purdue, North Carolina State and Tennessee will also be there, as well as SMU and Western Kentucky.

UNI, which advanced to the second round of last year's NCAA tournament, made some noise at this year's TirePros Invitational in Orlando, beating Arizona State and Oklahoma before falling to Xavier in the championship.

Iowa played in the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis, advancing to the championship with wins over Xavier and UTEP before losing to Villanova.

Baylor beat Louisville 66-63 Saturday for the 2016 title.

Looks like we know what we are doing for Thanksgiving next year. What a field!! November 25, 2016

Looks like we know what we are doing for Thanksgiving next year. What a field!! #Battle4Atlantis pic.twitter.com/G9g9OsVgpy

— UNI Basketball (@UNImbb)