Alabama to Participate in 2022 Phil Knight Invitational

The Alabama men's basketball team is set to compete for the first time in the Phil Knight Invitational Tournament next season, per a press release from the university.

The Crimson Tide will travel to Portland, Oregon for the weekend-long tournament, beginning on Thursday, November 24th and ending on Sunday, November 27th. Alongside Alabama will be seven other teams, consisting of UConn, Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oregon, Portland and Villanova.

The Phil Knight Invitational began in 2017, originally featuring 16 teams split between two brackets. The original field of teams included 10 of the previous 14 national champions and three of the previous year's final four, making it one of the most competitive tournaments in recent history. Michigan State and Duke were the winners of the two brackets, and it is still regarded as one of the top invitational tournaments in NCAA history.

In 2018, the tournament took a brief hiatus, but returned the following year to feature just four teams in a one-day event where only two games were played. Oregon defeated Memphis and Oklahoma took down Oregon State in two competitive matchups.

The tournament is played in honor of Nike founder and 2012 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee Phil Knight and will celebrate his 85th birthday next season.