The Tar Heels are no stranger to prestigious basketball tournaments, and according to a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, an upcoming showcase may put all the others to shame.
The PK85 Tournament, to be held in Portland, OR, in November 2022, tentatively includes North Carolina men’s basketball among a who’s who of college basketball’s elite programs. Rothstein reports UNC is set to be included in a 16-team lineup with Duke, Villanova, Gonzaga, Michigan State and Florida.
The showcase celebrates the birthday of Nike founder Phil Knight, and each participating school has a uniform partnership with Nike.
The Tar Heels participated in the first iteration of the event, the PK80, in November of 2017. They fell to Michigan State, 63-45, in the championship game of the Victory Bracket.
The PK85 tournament will likely be organized in the same manner as the PK80, with two 8-team tournaments being played simultaneously. For that event, Duke and UNC were placed in separate brackets.
The Tar Heels are one of seven former national champions included in the prospective field. Games against Gonzaga, Villanova or Michigan State would present rematches of past championship games the Tar Heels have played.
Carolina will see Purdue and potentially Villanova during the 2021-22 season as well, as all three programs are entered into the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, to be played in November in Uncasville, CT.
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