STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford men's basketball program has been selected to compete in the prestigious 16-team PK80 – Phil Knight Invitational – over Thanksgiving week of 2017.
The event, which will honor Nike co-founder and Stanford alumnus Phil Knight MBA '62 in advance of his 80th birthday, will be contested in Portland, Oregon over Thanksgiving week during the 2017-18 season.
Stanford will be joined in the elite 16-team field by Arkansas, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State and Texas.
"We are honored to be a part of this very exciting experience in Portland," said Stanford's Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball, Jerod Haase. "We look forward to celebrating the positive impact Phil Knight has had on the game and his connection to Stanford as an alumnus of the Graduate School of Business and benefactor of the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program. This event is a great opportunity to showcase Stanford among the nation's elite programs."
This highly-anticipated event will be one of the largest regular-season tournaments in college basketball history. The Cardinal will play three games over the four days, from Nov. 23-26, 2017 in both the Rose Quarter's Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Two eight-team tournaments – consisting of three games per team – will run simultaneously in the two buildings with the crowning of two bracket champions. All games from Portland will be televised on ESPN networks.
The 16 teams in the event have combined for 23 national championships, more than 85 Final Fours, more than 380 NCAA Championship appearances and more than 680 NCAA Championship wins. The prestigious field also includes nine of the past 13 NCAA Champions. Stanford is one of the 10 schools in the field to have won an NCAA title and one of 13 teams to have made at least one Final Four appearance.
"On behalf of the 16 schools participating in PK80, we are honored to be highlighting Mr. Knight's contributions to college basketball," said Clint Overby, vice president, ESPN Events. "The strength of the field coupled with the two venues in Portland set the stage for what should be an exciting weekend."
"We're grateful for the opportunity to host 16 of the country's best college basketball teams while honoring a man whose influence on the game and our region is immeasurable," said Chris Oxley, senior vice president of venue operations, Rose Quarter. "PK80 will be an incredible showcase of basketball for fans in our arenas and watching on ESPN."
A limited number of school-specific tickets are available to Stanford season ticket members and Buck/Cardinal Club donors for $210/ticket. School-specific tickets guarantee admission to all three sessions in which Stanford plays between the Rose Quarter's Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Games will be played Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017.
Stanford STMs should sign into their online ticketing accounts to purchase, or call (800)-STANFORD (Option 1) Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Buck/Cardinal Club donors can call (800)-STANFORD, email athleticstickets@stanford.edu or connect with the Buck/Cardinal Club. Deadline to purchase tickets is Tuesday, February 14, 2017.
PK80 was created on behalf of the schools and is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, in conjunction with the Rose Quarter. For more information on the tournament, please visit www.pkinvitational.com.