Connecticut vs. Gonzaga College Basketball Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

TV Schedule: Friday, Nov. 27, 12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Stadium: Imperial Arena

The Connecticut Huskies and Gonzaga Bulldogs will meet up in the Battle 4 Atlantis … but it won’t be for the championship game.

Connecticut dropped its first contest of the season against the Syracuse Orange while the Bulldogs lost their first game of 2015-16 against the Texas A&M Aggies. Therefore, Texas A&M and Syracuse will meet up in the championship game while the Bulldogs and Huskies will, of course, play for third place.

As expected, Sterling Gibbs is already doing work for Connecticut, and Rodney Purvis is holding his own early on in the season as well. Both players will have to come up big all season long if the Huskies are going to stay in the top 25 and make the 2016 NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer is one of the top players in the country and he is always a threat to put up 20+ points per game. Yeah, he has certainly come a long way since his Kentucky days. Wiltjer could be the best player in college hoops, after all.

When it comes to this clash, it’s hard to picture a world in which the Bulldogs lose back-to-back games — well, when they have a talent like Wiltjer, that is.

Surely, both teams will end up making the dance, but it’s the Bulldogs who entered the season as serious Final Four contenders.

Although this battle will be played for third place, the winner will get a huge resume booster, which is what college basketball is all about — well, at least when it comes to being part of March Madness.

PREDICTION: Huskies 74, Bulldogs 77

Trevor Lowry is a Content Associate at www.RantSports.com. If you’re a tweeter feel free to follow him @TheTrevorLowry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.