PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Fresh from knocking off No. 14 North Carolina, Villanova (5-1 overall) is set to battle Memphis (5-0 overall) in the title game of the Bad Boy Mowers 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis Friday afternoon. The game is set for 3:30 p.m. at Imperial Arena.
 
Villanova held off the Tar Heels 83-81 in overtime Thursday in the first semifinal. Memphis earned itself a spot in the final with an 82-78 win over No. 20 Arkansas.
 
Villanova's offense in this event has been fueled by Eric Dixon, who has averaged 26.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per outing in wins over Texas Tech and North Carolina. He has been aided by another tested veteran, Justin Moore, who has averaged 17.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest on the island.
 
"I was just really proud of the way our guys competed," said Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune after his team rallied from a nine-point second half deficit to secure the win over the Tar Heels. "Eric and Justin were outstanding. They're our leaders. Eric has been getting double-teamed all season. We saw why (Thursday). He was unbelievable.
 
"I thought Justin was unbelievable too. They denied him in the first half, and he didn't force any shots. He made plays for his teammates, played hard defensively, and came up big when the opportunities presented themselves in the second half. I couldn't be more proud."
 
Friday's title clash will be carried nationally on ESPN with Jon Sciambi and Jimmy Dykes courtside to describe the action. The Villanova IHeart Sports Radio network will also carry this matchup with Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby handling the announcing assignment.
 
These two teams last met nearly two decades ago. The Tigers, coached by John Calipari, earned a 72-68 win in 2003 in Memphis before picking up a 73-57 triumph the following season at the Wells Fargo Center. Memphis holds an 8-4 series advantage.
 
The most notable prior matchup took place in the 1985 NCAA Final Four in Lexington, Ky. Villanova advanced to the NCAA Final with a 52-45 victory in the first semifinal on Saturday, a prelude to its 66-64 win over Georgetown two nights later that gave the school its first NCAA national championship.
 
Memphis, meanwhile, features a former Wildcat in guard Jahvon Quinerly, who began his college career at Villanova in 2018-19 before transferring to Alabama at the conclusion of that academic year.
 
Villanova returns to the title game of a November event for the ninth time since 2013. It is 7-1 in those appearances (.875), with wins here over Iowa (2013) and Northern Iowa (2017) in their two prior visits to the Battle 4 Atlantis championship round. The 'Cats only loss in a November tournament in that span came to Baylor in 2019.