Utah State men’s basketball to play Gonzaga in November

The Utah State men’s basketball team will participate in this year’s PK80 Phil Knight Invitational Tournament, an opportunity to face off against various teams from across the country, including last year’s NCAA basketball championship runner-up Gonzaga.

According to a release this morning by tournament officials, Utah State will be one of 23 teams to compete in the tournament, which includes top teams such as Duke, North Carolina, Oregon and several others.

Utah State is set to go up against Gonzaga November 18th in Spokane, Washington. The Aggies will also see action the following week at Portland State on November 20th, and against Northeastern and New Hampshire on the 24th and 25th respectively at a neutral site in Nashville, Tennessee.

Last season Gonzaga went 37-2, earning a top seed in the NCAA tournament and eventually advancing to the championship where the Bulldogs fell to North Carolina 71-65.

This will be the second time in the past three years the Aggies have faced off against a top-ranked opponent early in the season. Utah State traveled to face No. 6 Duke back in 2015, a game which they lost 85-52.

The Aggies will participate in the non-bracketed portion of the tournament, meaning they will not compete for the tournament championship, but will reap the benefits of facing off on a national stage as part of one of the country’s largest tournaments.

Game times for Utah State have yet to be announced. All games in the tournament will be televised on ESPN networks.

—

jadencrockettjohnson@gmail.com

Twitter: @jadenjohns0n