NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early ranking of 2022 PK85 Invitational games

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 23: General view of a rack of basketballs before the between the Portland State Vikings and the Duke Blue Devils during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2016 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Basketball Caleb Love North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

7. North Carolina vs. Portland, PKI Bracket

See above. This is the other game between these two fields that is most likely to be a turkey trot for the favored team. Still, there could be some things worth watching and it will be at a friendly time for those with an East Coast bias.

After returning most of its core from a year ago, the North Carolina Tar Heels are a favorite to win it all this season. With those expectations come the pressure of performing at a high level in every game, not overlooking any opponent, including the Pilots.

These teams actually faced off in the PK80 event five years ago. That game didn’t go particularly well for Portland, which was smacked 102-78 to open the tournament. North Carolina ultimately made it to the championship game of the event in 2017, where it lost to Michigan State.

The Tar Heels just have to be careful not to look ahead. The other teams that could in their future include Villanova, Iowa State, UConn, Oregon, Alabama, and Michigan State. It would be easy for Hubert Davis’ squad to ground the Pilots in their mind before even playing them.

The Pilots are coming off a decent season, finishing 19-15 last year and making the quarterfinals of The Basketball Classic. Shantay Legans appears poised to push Portland towards a higher tier in the standard WCC pecking order.

Asking any team to resist the Tar Heels this season, however, is a big ask. Better teams than Portland are going to struggle with North Carolina this year.

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