While the snow begins to fall in Madison, the Wisconsin men’s basketball team will see nothing but sunshine and hot temperatures over its Thanksgiving break, spending the week in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis mid-season tournament.

The hype for the tournament has been building ever since the field of eight, consisting mostly of elite NCAA basketball programs, was announced last year. Now it’s finally here.

Wisconsin comes into the tournament with a 4-0 record, winning every game by at least 24 points. Overall, through the first four games, the Badgers have outscored their opponents 313-190.

Four Badgers — senior forward Frank Kaminsky (19.3), sophomore forward Nigel Hayes (15.3), junior forward Sam Dekker, and senior guard Traevon Jackson (10) — are averaging double figures in points per game. Kaminsky leads the team in rebounding, posting 10.3 boards per game, and Hayes is not far behind with 9.8 rebounds per contest.

While the Badgers have not been truly tested yet this season, this tournament will provide UW with the competition it needs as the Badgers approach their much-anticipated battle at the Kohl Center with Duke, which is ranked no. 4 in the AP poll and no. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.

Below is a preview of each team in this week’s tournament and when Wisconsin would potentially play each team, assuming it continues to advance in the tournament.

First Round (Wednesday, 11/26)

University of Alabama-Birmingham (2-2): UAB is not the most historic of programs, as they have only made the NCAA tournament twice since 2000. Blazers’ head coach Jerod Haase is in his third year at the position and has posted a record of 36-31 in his tenure with the program. Through their first four games this season, the Blazers haven’t produced many impressive wins, with one of their two victories coming against a Division II foe in Young Harris College. Wednesday will also mark the first time this year that the Blazers will be playing away from home, and the Badgers should have little trouble defeating them and advancing to the semifinals of the tournament.

Semi-Finals (Thursday, 11/27)

 Florida (2-1): While this was supposed to be the Badgers’ first real test of the season, the Gators haven’t been sharp to start the season and aren’t even being looked at as a guarantee to advance to the semifinals. In their last two games, Florida, a preseason top-10 team, lost to Miami (FL) by two points and needed overtime to defeat Louisiana-Monroe. Now, after starting the season ranked No. 7 in the AP poll, the Gators have dropped all the way down to No. 18. Regardless, the Gators will still be a tough opponent led by arguably the best sharp-shooter in the nation in junior guard Michael Frazier II, who leads the team in scoring at 16 points per game.

Georgetown (3-0): By Georgetown standards, this year’s team doesn’t have very high expectations, but head coach John Thompson III always has his players ready to go. They are led by senior center Joshua Smith, who is currently averaging 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for the Hoyas through their first three contests. The big man, who is listed at 6-foot-10, 350 pounds may cause some matchup problems for the Badgers’ forwards down low. However, Wisconsin could be able to expose Smith with Frank Kaminsky’s and Nigel Hayes’ ability to spread the floor, taking Smith away from where he is most comfortable: the paint.

The Championship (Friday, 11/28)

UCLA (4-0): The Bruins, after starting the preseason outside of the AP Top-25, find themselves ranked 22nd following four wins to start their season. While they haven’t played any noteworthy opponents yet, the Bruins have a very balanced team led by sophomore guard Bryce Alford in the backcourt and freshman forward Kevon Looney in the frontcourt. Alford, who is UCLA head coach Steve Alford’s son, is off to a hot start this season, averaging 20 points and 9.8 assists per game while shooting more than 40 percent from behind the arc. Down low, the freshman Looney has been a force for the Bruins, averaging 14.8 points and 12 rebounds per game in his first four college games.

Oklahoma (2-1): With Oklahoma being predominantly known as a football school, there were high expectations coming into this season with the Sooners ranked No. 19 in the preseason AP poll. But, after blowing an 18-point lead in the second half and losing to Creighton in just its second game of the season, Oklahoma is now on the outside of the poll looking in. The Sooners are still a team that returns their top three scorers from last year’s 23-win team that received a 6-seed in the NCAA tournament, so they will be looking at this tournament as a way to improve in the season’s early going.

Butler (3-0): With former Butler head coach Brad Stevens departing for the Boston Celtics of the NBA before last season, the Bulldogs won’t be looked at to be the National Title-contender they once were. After a very disappointing season a year ago, where they posted a 14-17 record in their first year as a part of the Big East conference, the Bulldogs will be looking to come back strong. They return their leading scorer and Second Team All-Big East performer from last year in junior guard Kellen Dunham, who is averaging 19 points per game in Butler’s first three games this season.

North Carolina (3-0): If Wisconsin takes care of business and makes it to the championship game, the Tar Heels will more than likely be the team they will be going up against. The Tar Heels return plenty of talent from last year’s 24-win team headed by All-American junior point guard Marcus Paige, who averaged 17.5 points and 4.2 assists last season. On top of that, North Carolina also brings in a top-three recruiting class led by top-10 recruit forward Justin Jackson. The Tar Heels’ overwhelming athleticism could prove to be a tough task to handle for the Badgers if the two teams do happen to meet in the championship game.