A pair of AP Top 25 teams look to bounce back from their first letdowns of the season on Thursday when No. 3 Gonzaga takes on No. 14 Indiana in the Battle 4 Atlantis event from The Bahamas.

The Bulldogs (5-1) were less than 30 seconds away from advancing to the semifinal round before West Virginia mounted a swift comeback in the final seconds behind Tucker DeVries, who sunk two free throws in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime. The Mountaineers held the Zags to 2-of-10 from the field in the extra period to come away victorious, 84-78, over the No. 3-ranked program in the country. Gonzaga also led by eight points at halftime and by double-digits at the 18:35 mark in the second half.

Braden Huff’s 19 points led his team, followed by Khalif Battle with 16 points. Javon Small scored a season-high 31 points for West Virginia, which went 14-of-28 (50.0%) from the field in the second half.

The Hoosiers (4-1) are looking to rebound from Wednesday’s 89-61 loss to Louisville in their Battle 4 Atlantis opener on Wednesday. Malik Reneau led Indiana with 21 points while former Zag Oumar Ballo recorded 11 points and six rebounds.

The Bulldogs and Hoosiers have met four times before, all at neutral sites, with the series split at 2-2. The two last met in the 2008 Hartford Classic in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the Zags came out on top, 70-54.

The winner of Thursday’s game plays at noon PST on Friday in the third-place game. Loser plays at 8 a.m. PST in the seventh-place game.

HOW TO WATCH GONZAGA VS. INDIANA

Who: Gonzaga and Indiana meet in the consolation bracket of the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis

When: 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. EST | Thursday, Nov. 28

Where: Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort | Nassau, Bahamas

TV: ESPN2

2024 Battle 4 Atlantis Schedule:

Nov. 28 – Semifinals

Noon ET – Louisville vs. West Virginia

2:30 p.m. ET – Gonzaga vs. Indiana

5 p.m. ET – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner

7:30 p.m. ET – Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (consolation bracket)

Nov. 29 – Championship

11 a.m. ET – Seventh-Place Game

3 p.m. ET – Third-Place Game

5:30 p.m. ET – Championship Game

Associated Press

Detroit Pistons (8-12, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (9-10, seventh in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Friday, 8 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -8; over/under is 228.5

BOTTOM LINE: Indiana will try to keep its four-game home win streak alive when the Pacers face Detroit.

The Pacers are 1-1 against division opponents. Indiana has a 4-3 record against teams over .500.

The Pistons are 0-4 against the rest of their division. Detroit gives up 112.0 points to opponents and has been outscored by 2.5 points per game.

The Pacers make 48.6% of their shots from the field this season, which is 3.1 percentage points higher than the Pistons have allowed to their opponents (45.5%). The Pacers average 109.5 points per game, 8.0 fewer points than the 117.5 the Pacers allow.

TOP PERFORMERS: Tyrese Haliburton is averaging 17.4 points and 8.8 assists for the Pacers.

Cade Cunningham is averaging 23.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.9 assists for the Pistons.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 5-5, averaging 115.1 points, 40.4 rebounds, 27.3 assists, 9.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 48.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.5 points per game.

Pistons: 4-6, averaging 111.1 points, 47.2 rebounds, 25.7 assists, 6.3 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 113.5 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Ben Sheppard: out (oblique).

Pistons: Bobi Klintman: out (calf), Tobias Harris: day to day (hip), Cade Cunningham: day to day (hip).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – He wasn’t here long, and he is one of several one-year Indiana wonders who have taken the Hoosiers to unprecedented heights in their 10-win 2024 dream season.

The brief and glorious ride that defensive tackle James Carpenter has been on in an Indiana uniform is close to its final act.

The final game of the regular season for Carpenter and his teammates is Saturday when Indiana hosts Purdue in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.

It won’t be Indiana’s last game as the postseason beckons, but it might be the last chance for Carpenter to bask in the appreciation of home fans who have grown to love him and some of the other Hoosiers – new and old – who have taken Indiana to a possible College Football Playoff berth.

Carpenter will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. Other prominent Hoosiers, transfers or not, such as quarterback Kurtis Rourke, running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton, wide receivers Myles Price and Ke’Shawn Williams, center Mike Katic, defensive linemen Lanell Carr Jr. and Jacob Mangum-Farrar and safety Josh Sanguinetti, are among the senior-plus players who are nearing their post-college football futures.

For Carpenter, coming to Indiana and being an integral part of the Hoosiers’ 10-1 season has confirmed to him (and many of his transfer teammates) that they made the right choice to try their luck in the Big Ten after playing at a so-called lower level in the Sun Belt Conference.

“It’s really just having a chip on our shoulder. Most of us that have transferred here, we were under-recruited guys who didn’t get recruited by the schools we wanted to coming out of high school,” Carpenter said.

“So I think we’ve always kind of had that chip on our shoulder coming here, We saw a lot of stuff about how we were too small. We weren’t going to be able to play in the Big Ten. We’ve used that as motivation for us” he said.

That fuel has pushed Indiana’s defense to impressive heights. The Hoosiers have the best run defense in the nation, giving up just 76.1 yards per game. Indiana is third in total defense at 261 yards per contest. The Hoosiers also rank third nationally in first downs allowed (167).

Carpenter said that defensive coordinator Bryant Haines keeps things fresh by adding layers to the defensive base principles each week.

“Coach Haines and Coach (Pat) Kuntz (defensive line coach) have definitely added a lot of different stuff. Different fronts, different pass rush schemes, a lot of different blitzes and unique looks,” Carpenter said. “They put a lot on our plate, and we welcome that.”

Carpenter – who has 29 tackles, including five sacks and nine tackles for loss – also cited a good rapport with fellow defensive tackle CJ West, himself a transfer from Kent State.

As they have grown accustomed to one another, Indiana’s run defense and push up front in pass rushing situations have become that much tougher for opponents to handle.

“In camp, we usually build upon the base level stuff. Then, each week, we’re putting in a bunch of new blitzes, different looks,” Carpenter explained. “A bunch of guys have been in the system long enough, we work well together. So they can throw a lot at us, and we’re going to go out there and execute.”

At a minimum, Indiana will have a bowl game after its regular season finale against Purdue. However, Saturday might be the last chance for Carpenter to play at Memorial Stadium, a happy place for him as he’s concluded a college career near the top of mountain after he was barely recruited out of high school in Roanoke, Va.

Curt Cignetti believed in Carpenter. He was one of his first recruits at James Madison and brought him to Indiana, where both men have enjoyed career highs not known before.

Carpenter will walk on the Memorial Stadium turf on Saturday thankful for his time as a Hoosier.

“It’s definitely going to be a little bit of an emotional moment,” Carpenter said. “It’s been an incredible ride. It’s definitely going to hit me when I’m out there with my parents, but I’ll just save that for that moment.”

A moment Carpenter earned by covering himself in glory in his one season in an Indiana uniform.