Four elite nonconference college basketball events to be featured during ESPN’s Feast Week were announced on Tuesday, with the Phil Knight Invitational and Phil Knight Legacy expanding this fall to include women’s brackets.
The Portland, Oregon-based events are a continuation of the PK80 events in 2017, which were held to celebrate Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday.
“We are honored to bring together some of the best men’s and women’s college basketball teams in tribute to Phil Knight and his lasting impact on the sport,” said Clint Overby, vice president, ESPN Events. “The quality of both fields along with the multivenue setup will make Portland the epicenter of college hoops this Thanksgiving weekend.”
The 2022 Phil Knight Invitational, one of 11 college basketball events owned and operated by ESPN, will feature eight men’s teams and four women’s teams. The men’s teams are Alabama, Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oregon, Portland, UConn and Villanova, while the women’s field features Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina and Oregon.
The 2022 Phil Knight Legacy, hosted by Rip City Management, will also feature eight men’s and four women’s teams. The men’s teams are Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Portland State, Purdue, West Virginia and Xavier, while the women’s teams will be Duke, Iowa, Oregon State and UConn.
“We’re proud to be hosting the Phil Knight Legacy in conjunction with ESPN Events’ PKI,” Rose Quarter senior vice president Chris Oxley said. “Having the best college basketball teams in the world gather in Portland to celebrate Phil Knight’s continued legacy is a great opportunity for our city.”
All four events will be played in a bracket-style format, with the men’s teams playing three games apiece and the women’s teams playing two games.
The events will take place Nov. 24-27, 2022, across three Portland venues: the University of Portland’s Chiles Center, Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
