FAYETTEVILLE — Game times and television networks have been set for the Phil Knight Invitational, one of the largest regular season basketball tournaments ever created to honor Nike co-founder and chairman Phil Knight in advance of his 80th birthday.
Arkansas will play its opening game in Portland, Oregon, on Thanksgiving Day, tipping off in the Moda Center against Oklahoma at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
A Razorback win would send them to Friday’s winner’s bracket for a 2:30 p.m. matchup against North Carolina/Portland on ESPN, while the loser’s bracket game is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN3.
Both Friday games will be played in Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The event features two eight-team brackets running simultaneously from the Rose Quarter’s Moda Center and Veterans Memorial Coliseum with the crowning of two bracket champions.
Games will be played Thursday, Nov. 23, Friday, Nov. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 26, with all 24 contests televised across ESPN networks.
Arkansas is in the “Victory” bracket along with Oklahoma, North Carolina, Oregon, Connecticut, Michigan State, DePaul and Portland.
The “Motion” bracket features Butler, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
The Razorbacks meet Oklahoma for the 28th time in program history, with Arkansas holding a 15-12 edge in the all-time series, including an 81-78 victory in Bud Walton Arena in the most recent matchup during the 2012-13 season.
The Razorbacks are 4-0 all-time against Oklahoma in neutral site games.
The participating schools in Arkansas’ bracket have combined for 14 National Championships, 49 Final Fours, 212 NCAA Championship appearances and 373 NCAA Tournament wins.
Five of the eight schools have won a National Championship, including the defending National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels, and seven of the eight have made at least one Final Four appearance.
Single session tickets and all session passes are currently available at the Rose Quarter Box Office, by calling 800.745.3000 or online at pkinvitational.com/tickets.
