For men’s and women’s college basketball, a Thanksgiving weekend showcase in Portland, Oregon, could offer a Final Four preview in a pair of major matchups.
A potential title game between new head coach Jon Scheyer and Duke and Drew Timme and Gonzaga could unfold at the Phil Knight Legacy, while women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark could lead UConn and Iowa, respectively, into the championship game of the women’s Phil Knight Legacy tournament. Those are two of the pairings announced on Monday for the four Feast Week events in Portland by ESPN.
North Carolina and Oregon, both ranked in ESPN’s way-too-early top-25 women’s basketball preseason poll, will anchor the women’s Phil Knight Invitational (PKI), and national runner-up North Carolina, ranked first in ESPN’s way too early top-25 men’s basketball preseason poll, is the top team in the men’s PKI, along with Villanova, Alabama and Oregon.
Overall, the men’s and women’s Phil Knight Legacy events and the men’s and women’s PKI tournaments will feature some of the top teams in America in men’s and women’s basketball. The four events will unfold at the Moda Center, Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Chiles Center Nov. 24-27.
In the men’s Phil Knight Legacy event, Duke will face Oregon State in the opening round along with Florida vs. Xavier, featuring two first-year head coaches in Todd Golden and Sean Miller, respectively; Purdue vs. West Virginia and Portland State vs. Gonzaga.
In the women’s Phil Knight Legacy tournament, UConn and Duke, plus Iowa and Oregon State, will face off in the preliminary rounds.
In the men’s PKI first round, North Carolina, which returns the bulk of the key pieces from last year’s national championship title game run and adds Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, will battle Portland, Iowa State will face first-year head coach Kyle Neptune and UConn will play an Oregon team that’s ranked in the top-25 of ESPN’s way too early top-25 poll. Also, Michigan State and Alabama will compete in another top first-round matchup in Portland.
The women’s PKI opening round will pit Te-Hina Paopao and Oregon against Deja Kelly and a North Carolina squad that made a Sweet 16 run last season. Iowa State, led by all-Big 12 first team standouts Ashley Joens and Lexi Donarski, will face Michigan State in the other first-round matchup.
The events in Portland are a follow-up to the PK80 in 2017, which honored Nike founder Phil Knight for his contributions to the sport.