Ducks To Face Memphis In PDX For Inaugural Phil Knight Invitational
03/06/19 | Men's Basketball
The Oregon men will play Memphis on Nov. 12, 2019, in the Moda Center.
Two years after the PK80 Invitational brought an elite 16-team field to Portland for an early season college basketball showcase, the event returns for a three-year run beginning later this year with the Phil Knight Invitational, a four-team field that includes Oregon.
The Ducks will face Memphis, and Oklahoma will play Oregon State, in the Moda Center on Nov. 12, kicking off the 2019-20 season. The event is being promoted by ESPN Events, in conjunction with Rip City Management and the Rose Quarter.
"I am very happy to be part of a new tradition of early season college basketball matchups with the PKI," Knight said. "We love college basketball in the Pacific Northwest and I appreciate ESPN and the Rose Quarter for making the PKI an annual event in Portland."
Tickets for the invitational will range from $35 to $125, and will go on sale later this year. More information will be made available at www.pkinvitational.com.
Oregon faced Connecticut, DePaul and Oklahoma in the 2017 event, dubbed the PK80 Invitational in recognition of Knight's 80th birthday. The event was formatted as two eight-team tournaments, with Duke and Michigan State winning their respective brackets.
Oregon and Memphis have never met in men's basketball.
By hosting both Oregon and Oregon State, the PK Invitational is a nod to the old Far West Classic, which hosted the Ducks and Beavers in an early season, eight-team tournament from 1959-89.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to build upon the success of PK80 and partner again with ESPN Events to host the upcoming Phil Knight Invitational events at the Moda Center," said Chris Oxley, senior vice president of business development at the Rose Quarter. "The PKI events will further the legacy of Mr. Knight's contribution to collegiate basketball and will again bring a talent-stacked roster to the Pacific Northwest."
