The Michigan State Spartans easily handled the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday night to win the Victory Bracket of the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland. In the nightcap, the Duke Blue Devils beat the Florida Gators to win the Motion Bracket.
The game of the tournament so far was Friday’s thrilling double-overtime semifinal between Florida and Gonzaga Bulldogs, won by Florida 111-105. A close second was Duke overcoming a 16-point deficit against the Texas Longhorns to stave off an upset bid in another overtime thriller.
Preview
In honor of Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday and contributions to college basketball, 16 college basketball teams will compete in the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon, this week. There are two eight-team brackets, and each bracket is limited to only one team per conference. The games will take place on Nov. 23, 24, and 26 at the Moda Center and the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. ESPN (livestream) outlets will broadcast each matchup.
The Victory Bracket consists of these eight teams: Portland Pilots, North Carolina Tar Heels, Oklahoma Sooners, Arkansas Razorbacks, UConn Huskies, Oregon Ducks, Michigan State Spartans, and the DePaul Blue Demons.
The Duke Blue Devils, Butler Bulldogs, Florida Gators, Gonzaga Bulldogs, Ohio State Buckeyes, Portland State Vikings, Stanford Cardinal, and the Texas Longhorns are all in the The Motion Bracket.
Brackets
Tournament Schedule
Victory Bracket Schedule
Thursday, November 23:
Game 1: North Carolina 102, Portland 78
Game 2: Arkansas 92, Oklahoma 83 (recap)
Game 3: Connecticut 71, Oregon 63
Game 4: Michigan State 73, DePaul 51
Friday, November 24:
Game 5: North Carolina 87, Arkansas 68
Game 6: Oklahoma 93, Portland 71
Game 7: Oregon 89, DePaul 79, overtime
Game 8: Michigan State 77, Connecticut 57
Sunday, November 26:
Game 9 (fifth place): Oklahoma 90, Oregon 80
Game 10 (third place): Arkansas 102, Connecticut 67
Game 11 (seventh place): DePaul 82, Portland 69
Game 12 (championship): Michigan State 63, North Carolina 45
Motion Bracket Schedule
Thursday, November 23:
Game 1: Duke 99, Portland State 81 (recap)
Game 2: Texas 61, Butler 48
Game 3: Florida 108, Stanford 87
Game 4: Gonzaga 86, Ohio State 59
Friday, November 24:
Game 5: Butler 71, Portland State 69
Game 6: Duke 85, Texas 78, overtime (recap)
Game 7: Ohio State 79, Stanford 71
Game 8: Florida 111, Gonzaga 105, double overtime (recap)
Sunday, November 26:
Game 9 (third place): Gonzaga 76, Texas 71
Game 10 (fifth place): Butler 67, Ohio State 66, overtime
Game 11 (seventh place): Portland State 87, Stanford 78
Game 12 (championship): Duke 87, Florida 84 (recap)