When Ohio State heads to Portland next week for the Phil Knight Invitational, they'll be one of 16 programs donning a new Nike uniform made specifically for the event, which marks the apparel company founder's 80th birthday.
Other participating schools include Arkansas, Butler, Connecticut, Duke, DePaul, Florida, Gonzaga, Michigan State, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Portland, Portland State, Stanford and Texas.
Collectively, these schools account for 391 tournament bids, 89 Final Four appearances and 23 national championships. Each has a storied legacy of on-court success, and all are connected through Knight’s drive to empower through sport.
During play, the teams will wear footwear and uniforms inspired by Knight’s signature style. Known for his all-black outfits and sunglasses, Knight’s look is translated through all-black makeups of the Kyrie 3, PG1, Kobe AD and KD10, which feature iridescent highlights in an ode to his shining shades. North Carolina, the lone Jordan Brand program in the tournament, will wear a PK80 version of the Jordan 32 and Super.Fly 2017.
There's no notable difference in the design of the uniform based on the image above, but the Buckeyes will feature a jagged black graphic on the side, as opposed to the stripes most associated with the school's football program. Each game will be a color-versus-color matchup.
Ohio State opens the tournament on Thursday, Nov. 23, against Gonzaga at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Buckeyes will either face the winner or loser of Florida-Stanford, depending on the result of each contest.
