On Wednesday, ESPN announced the creation of another early-season tournament — the Phil Knight Invitational.
The PK80, as it will be colloquially known, will be a 16-team tournament in 2017 that honors Nike co-founder Phil Knight. It will be held in Portland, Oregon, during the week leading up to Thanksgiving.
With a field of 16 teams, the PK80 will be one of the largest regular-season tournaments in college basketball history, ESPN said. Games are set to be split between the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Schools taking part in the event include: Arkansas, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
It's the best collection of college basketball teams in the history of sports. #PK80
— Razorback Basketball (@RazorbackMBB) September 21, 2016
We'll see you there in 2017 https://t.co/vDukQMi2c3
The tournament format calls for two eight-team brackets where each team will play three games before two bracket champions are crowned. All games will be televised on ESPN’s family of networks.
Knight, who will turn 80 next year, is often recognized for the impact he has had on sports — both collegiate and professional — through his company’s athletic apparel and footwear brands, but he was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
This season’s docket may already be packed, but that doesn’t stop teams from scheduling ahead. Bon appétit college basketball fans.
Field Highlights
- The schools have combined for 23 National Championships, more than 85 Final Fours, more than 380 NCAA Championship appearances and more than 680 NCAA Championship wins
- Ten of the 16 schools have won a NCAA title
- Nine of the past 13 National Champions are in the field
- Thirteen of the 16 schools have made at least one Final Four appearance
- Ticket information and tournament bracket will be announced at a later date.
