PORTLAND, Ore. — The Phil Knight Invitational returns to Portland this November with more teams than ever and will include women's basketball for the first time.
The past two years, the invitational was canceled or operated at a reduced level due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But this year, it will feature two different events, the Phil Knight Invitational and the Phil Knight Legacy tournament, with 24 teams, including elite programs from both men's and women's college basketball, converging on Portland for a four-day event over Thanksgiving weekend.
The group of 24 teams includes four that were ranked in the final women's AP Top 25 last season, including UConn (6), Iowa (8), Iowa State (10) and North Carolina (18) and five on the men's side, including Gonzaga (1), Villanova (6), Duke (9), Purdue (10) and UConn (21). It also features local programs, including the men's and women's teams from Oregon and Oregon State, and Portland and Portland State on the men's side.
"We're excited to host these premier women’s and men’s programs in Portland and showcase these amazing student-athletes this fall," Chris Oxley of the Rose Quarter said in a news release. "We are thrilled with this incredible field."
Single-session tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Games will be played at three separate venues in Portland: Moda Center, Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Chiles Center at the University of Portland.
The Phil Knight Invitational begins Thursday, Nov. 24 at 10 a.m. with a men's game between North Carolina and Portland and then a women's game at 2 p.m. between North Carolina and Oregon. The Phil Knight Legacy tournament tips off with a men's game between Duke and Oregon State at noon on Thursday, Nov. 24 and a women's game between UConn and Duke on Friday, Nov. 25 at 2:30 p.m.
The Phil Knight Invitational debuted in 2017, featuring 16 premier college basketball teams competing over a three-day event, with games played at Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The invitational returned in 2019 with just two games, between Oklahoma and Oregon State and Oregon and Memphis, at Moda Center. It was canceled in 2020 and in 2021, the invitational featured just one game at Moda Center, between Oregon and BYU.
This year's event will celebrate Phil Knight's 85th birthday. The Nike founder, who has been a major benefactor for the University of Oregon and recently submitted a $2-billion-plus bid to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers, turns 85 on Feb. 25, 2023.
2022 roster of teams
Phil Knight Legacy
Men
- Duke
- Florida
- Gonzaga
- Oregon State
- Portland State
- Purdue
- West Virginia
- Xavier
Women
- Duke
- Iowa
- Oregon State
- UConn
Phil Knight Invitational
Men
- Alabama
- Iowa State
- Michigan State
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Portland
- UConn
- Villanova
Women
- Iowa State
- Michigan State
- North Carolina
- Oregon
