GAME NOTES: The championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament is on tap for Friday afternoon at Imperial Arena, as the second-ranked Wisconsin Badgers take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma was bounced from the Top-25 following a Nov. 19 loss to Creighton (65-63), but it has redeemed itself in this event by defeating UCLA in the quarterfinals (75-65) and Butler in the semifinals (59-46). The Sooners have won three in a row overall to move to 4-1.

Wisconsin trailed for the majority of its semifinal-round matchup with Georgetown before ripping off a late surge to capture a 68-65 win to advance. The Badgers, who easily defeated UAB in the quarterfinals (72-43), are 6-0 for the third time in the last four seasons.

The all-time series between the programs is tied, 3-3. The sides have met just once in the past 60 years, with Wisconsin winning in 1997, 75-64.

The Sooners used a 16-0 run early in the game to separate themselves from Butler in the semifinal round and led by as many as 19 late in the easy victory. Despite shooting just 2-of-17 from 3-point range, the Sooners put together a solid field goal shooting day overall (.455), but the big story was the play of their defense, as they held Butler to only 14-of-59 from the field (.237). Isaiah Cousins scored 13 points to lead the way while adding eight rebounds. TaShawn Thomas and Jordan Woodard netted 10 points apiece and Ryan Spangler hauled in 10 rebounds.

Oklahoma has played excellent defense all season long, holding teams to a mere 33.6 percent field goal shooting for 59.4 ppg, which is more than enough to support its production on the other end of the floor (73.0 ppg). Buddy Hield (18.2 ppg) has made 16 3-pointers at a 39 percent clip. Cousins (12.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Spangler (9.6 ppg, 10.2 ppg) are mainstays in the paint.

The Badgers faced a nine-point deficit midway through the second half against Georgetown but put together a furious 22-6 run to hold a seven-point lead with just under two minutes to play. The Hoyas had a chance to tie the game down by three in the waning seconds by D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera's 3-point attempt did not fall as the Badgers held on. They shot just shy of 49 percent from the field on the afternoon and 20-of-27 from the free-throw line and were led by the efforts of Sam Dekker (17 points), Nigel Hayes (15) and Bronson Koenig (14).

Although Wisconsin allowed Georgetown to shoot a lofty 53.2 percent from the field, their defensive effort on the season as a whole has been outstanding, as they give up just 49.7 ppg on 37.1 percent field goal shooting, which is more than enough to support its stellar offense (75.5 ppg, .519 FG percentage). Frank Kaminsky, the Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year, puts up 16.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg, both team highs. Hayes (14.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg) has also played great in the frontcourt, while Dekker rounds out the double-digit scorers with 13.0 ppg.

After an early slip up this season, Oklahoma has proven with its performance in this event that it is indeed one of the best teams in the country. Still, Wisconsin came into this event as the favorite and has done nothing to change that with its showing. Expect the No. 2 team in the nation to continue to bolster its early-season resume with a tournament championship.