Top College Basketball Teams Converge in portland Nov. 24-27 for PKI, Phil Knight Legacy Events — Sport Oregon Voices

Sport Oregon Voices: Area college programs face tough competition as season gets underway in Oregon

In no time at all, the state of Oregon once again will be bustling with college basketball excitement. Among the highlights of the upcoming season for the area hoops fans is the upcoming PKI and Phil Knight Legacy events that will take place Nov. 24-27 in Portland.

The PKI and Phil Knight Legacy events are multi-team tournaments that each feature eight men’s teams and four women’s teams. Anchored by the four Division I programs in the state – Oregon, Oregon State, Portland and Portland State – the field for both tournaments is packed with top teams from across the country.

The PKI men’s field includes Alabama, Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oregon, Portland, UConn and Villanova. Not a bad group, considering it represents 45 Final Fours and 16 NCAA titles between the schools. On the women’s side, the PKI features Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina and Oregon, which combine for 81 NCAA Tournament appearances, 13 Elite Eights and six Final Fours.

Men’s teams competing in the Phil Knight Legacy include Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Portland State, Purdue, West Virginia and Xavier. These teams have a combined 30 Final Fours and seven NCAA titles. The women’s Phil Knight Legacy field features Duke, Iowa, Oregon State and UConn. That group has combined for 44 Elite Eights, 28 Final Fours and an impressive 12 national championships.

The early season tournaments in Portland build on the successful PK80 event held in Portland in 2017. This time around, the expanded events will be held at three different venues in Portland, including the Chiles Center at the University of Portland, and the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

For officials at the University of Portland, hosting games at the Chiles Center is a great opportunity for increased exposure and awareness for the small school. When the PK80 was held in Portland in 2017, the university hosted practice sessions for the participating teams. But this time around, the school is thrilled to be even more involved.

“We are honored that we were asked to host games at the Chiles Center,” said Scott Leykam, vice president for athletics at UP. “To be able to do it again, and to have eight games at the Chiles Center is something we won’t forget.”

All 32 games of both events will be televised live on ESPN networks, including the men’s and women’s championship games Sunday, Nov. 27. The expanded field and increased television exposure once again will showcase Portland as a top destination for larger-scale events, with future NCAA Tournament games in store and a hopeful Women’s Final Four.

The Oregon men’s team opens play in the PKI on Thursday, Nov. 24, when they take on the UConn Huskies at the Moda Center. The Ducks men, who went 20-11 last year, begin their 2022-23 season by playing host to Florida A&M on Monday, Nov, 7, in Eugene.

The Oregon women, who are coming off a 20-12 campaign in which they earned their fifth straight NCAA Tournament bid, take on Northwestern at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday, Nov. 7, to start their campaign. They begin play in the PKI against North Carolina at the Chiles Center on Thursday, Nov. 24.

Oregon State takes on Duke to begin the men’s Phil Knight Legacy tournament at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 24. The Beavers, who are looking to return to the postseason tournament mix this season after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign, officially open their new season on Monday, Nov. 7, when they host Tulsa at Gill Coliseum.

The Oregon State women play Iowa on Friday, Nov. 25 at the Chiles Center as part of the Phil Knight Legacy. The Beavers are coming off a 17-14 campaign in 2021-22, and open the new season on Monday, Nov. 7, by hosting Hawaii.

In the metro area, the UP women’s team begins its season Nov. 7 against Lewis & Clark at the Chiles Center. Last season, the Pilots compiled an overall record of 20-11 and played in a postseason tournament for the third straight year by advancing to the second round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

UP’s men’s team exceeded expectations last season, posting a 19-15 record and playing through to the quarterfinals of The Basketball Classic postseason tournament. The Pilots will open the new campaign by playing host to Willamette at the Chiles Center on Nov. 7. They’ll face a tough test in their PKI opener, as they take on North Carolina at the Moda Center on Thursday, Nov. 24.

Rounding out the local schools, the Portland State men face a similarly challenging opponent in their Phil Knight Legacy opener on Thursday, Nov. 24, when the square off against Gonzaga at Memorial Coliseum. The Vikings, who advanced to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2014 last year, face the crosstown-rival Portland Pilots for their season opener on Friday, Nov. 11, at the Chiles Center.  

The Portland State women’s team begins play on Monday, Nov. 7, when they take on Warner Pacific at Viking Pavilion. A start-and-stop season riddled with pandemic-related postponements led to a disappointing record in 2021-22 for the Vikings, but hopes are high for a young group (nine of 14 players were freshmen or sophomores) that gained critical experience last season.

If You’re Going
Tickets for the PKI and Phil Knight Legacy tournaments, which take place Nov. 24-27, are available by clicking here.