No. 1 North Carolina will kick-off their Thanksgiving with a 1:00 p.m. contest against the Portland Pilots. The Thursday matinee will be the first of three games in four days for the Tar Heels, who look to bring home a championship from Portland.
Regardless of the outcome, they will matchup against either Villanova or Iowa State on Friday.
The Wildcats, who sit at 2-2 on the season, dropped close contests to Temple and Michigan State, while recording victories over La Salle and Delaware State. In his first year in Philadelphia, Kyle Neptune will look to get Villanova back on track against the Cyclones.
Iowa State enters Portland with a 3-0 record, defeating opponents by an average of 34 points. Guard Jaren Holmes and his 18.3 points per game guide the Cyclone offense, who also struggle from beyond the arc, shooting a measly 27 percent from three.
After two games in two days, North Carolina will conclude their trip to Portland on Sunday in either the championship game or a consolation matchup.
The Tar Heels will face either Alabama, Michigan State, Oregon, or UConn.
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A top-20 matchup on Thursday between the Crimson Tide (4-0) and Spartans (3-1) will highlight the plethora of talent in the field, as the two ranked foes look to add a Quad 1 win to the resume.
Alabama has dominated their mid-major competition, while Michigan State has a one point loss to Gonzaga with quality wins over Kentucky and Villanova.
Oregon and UConn round out the Phil Knight Invitational field, as the Ducks have the opportunity to earn a top-20 win over the Huskies.
At 2-2, Oregon enters the early season tournament with an abundance of question marks. An expected loss to Houston coupled with an upset defeat at the hands of UC-Irvine leaves Dana Altman and company with the need for a signature win in the non-conference schedule.
Meanwhile, UConn has handily taken care of their first four opponents, including a 36 point victory over UNC-Wilmington, who North Carolina struggled to put away in their season opener.
In total, there are three other ranked teams in Portland, with the Tar Heels guaranteed to face off against one of the aforementioned programs.
A victory over a top-25 team would help diminish the outside concern as North Carolina looks to show why they’re the No. 1 team in the country.
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