UNC joins an elite field for the Phil Knight Invitational in 2017

The North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team is set to do something they’ve never done before in program history.

The Tar Heels will be a part of one of the largest regular season basketball tournaments in history next year.

UNC was one of sixteen teams named to the Phil Knight Invitational set to take place in November 2017 in Portland, Oregon. The field and announcement came Wednesday afternoon for the one-of-a-kind tournament.

The tournament will celebrate Knight’s 80th birthday and honor the Nike co-founder and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. It’s scheduled to take place over Thanksgiving week in 2017 in Portland.

Joining UNC in the field are: Arkansas, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.

That’s right, Duke.

UNC and Duke will play in a regular season tournament together, something that is very, very rare for the rivals. If the two teams somehow meet in the tournament, it will give us another chapter in the awesome rivalry.

Tar Heels’ head coach Roy Williams spoke on UNC’s involvement in the tournament:

“What a thrill for North Carolina Basketball to be playing in such a special event to honor a truly special man,” says Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams. “PK80 not only brings together some of the top basketball programs in the game, it honors a giant in business and sports. Mr. Knight has a wonderful ability to touch people’s lives and do great things, both in and out of the sports world. I’ll always cherish my friendship with him.”

The tournament will tipoff Thursday, Nov. 23 and will continue through the weekend with the title game taking place on Nov. 26. Games will be played at both the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The field is absolutely loaded and has history all over it. Of the 16 teams, 10 of them have won an NCAA title with 9 of the last 13 champions being in the field.

Stay tuned for more information on the event as it becomes available.