GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Gators will be among 16 teams competing at the PK80 – the Phil Knight Invitational – in Portland over the 2017 Thanksgiving week. The creation of the event honors the 80th birthday of Knight, Nike co-founder and 2012 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
The tournament will be played Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 26, at the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Participating schools include Arkansas, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
“What a great way to celebrate Phil Knight and all that he and Nike have done for college basketball and the Florida Gators,” head coach Mike White said. “We’re excited and honored to be part of this field that features so many excellent programs.”
Two eight-team events – consisting of three games per team – will run simultaneously in the two buildings with the crowning of two bracket champions. Every participating team will play at least one game in each venue, and all games from Portland will be televised on ESPN networks.
Ticket structure, pricing and on-sale dates will be announced at a later date. ESPN Events and Rose Quarter will work with the schools to provide fans with ticket information. In the meantime, fans can visit pkinvitational.com to sign up for ticket updates.
Brackets and matchups will be announced at a later date. Pursuant to NCAA rules regarding regular season multiple-team events, no more than one member per conference will be in the same bracket.
The tournament will be played Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 26, at the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Participating schools include Arkansas, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
“What a great way to celebrate Phil Knight and all that he and Nike have done for college basketball and the Florida Gators,” head coach Mike White said. “We’re excited and honored to be part of this field that features so many excellent programs.”
Two eight-team events – consisting of three games per team – will run simultaneously in the two buildings with the crowning of two bracket champions. Every participating team will play at least one game in each venue, and all games from Portland will be televised on ESPN networks.
Ticket structure, pricing and on-sale dates will be announced at a later date. ESPN Events and Rose Quarter will work with the schools to provide fans with ticket information. In the meantime, fans can visit pkinvitational.com to sign up for ticket updates.
Brackets and matchups will be announced at a later date. Pursuant to NCAA rules regarding regular season multiple-team events, no more than one member per conference will be in the same bracket.
