Arkansas To Play In 2017 Phil Knight Invitational Basketball Tournament

We didn’t even know this was going to be a thing, but it is a thing, and it seems really cool.

Arkansas has had some real hit-or-miss luck in scheduling preseason basketball tournaments in recent years, but the Razorbacks were invited to play next year in the Phil Knight Invitational, a 16-team tournament dubbing itself the greatest collection of teams ever for a preseason tournament.

Joining Arkansas in the tournament are Butler, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgetown, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas. Each program will play three games during the November 23 - 26, 2017 event in Portland.

It’s unknown if this is going to become an annual event, but it is being put together to honor Nike founder Phil Knight in advance of his 80th birthday. It seems like the type of event Nike will go all-out for. You can watch the hype video here.

Of course, it will be a great opportunity for Arkansas to earn some great RPI points for next year’s tournament resume. With the way the Hogs have been recruiting recently, that will be a big goal for the next few years.