Michigan Basketball set to participate in Jumpman Invitational
By Alex Hinton
Michigan basketball going to take part in a prestigious preseason tournament starting in 2022.
Early in-season tournaments are one of the best things about college basketball. They provide the opportunity to gain NCAA tournament resume-boosting wins. They are also a good litmus test and your team is able to see where they stand early in the year and what adjustments need to be made.
In recent years, Michigan basketball has participated in the Maui Invitational, The Battle 4 Atlantis, and The Empire Classic (formerly known as the 2k Sports Classic).
Next season, the Wolverines will participate in the inaugural Jumpman Invitational co-hosted by Jordan Brand. The event will take place on December 20th and 21st, 2022 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, the NBA home of Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets.
It will feature the men’s and women’s basketball teams at Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Florida, the original four Jordan Brand schools to have deals for football and basketball.
The Jumpman Invitational will have two games each night, presumably one night for the men’s teams and one night for the women’s teams.
More from GBMWolverine
- 3 things to watch for Michigan football vs. Rutgers
- Michigan football vs. Rutgers: Prediction, Odds, Spread and Over/Under for College Football Week 4
- Michigan Wolverines news: Jim Harbaugh wants J.J. McCarthy ‘gunslinging’, plus a drop in recruiting rankings
- Grades, game balls for Michigan football vs. Bowling Green
- Michigan Wolverines news: Jake Moody is money in the NFL, plus more
All games will be televised by ESPN with matchups still yet to be determined. Michigan’s men’s basketball team has played North Carolina in three of the last four seasons, winning two of the three matchups.
The Wolverines are scheduled to play the Tar Heels again this season in Chapel Hill. Against Florida, the Wolverines are 3-1 all-time with the last two victories coming in the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2019. Michigan basketball and Oklahoma have never matched up.
The Jumpman Invitational could expand to include other Jordan Brand-affiliated schools in 2023 or 2024 according to Danny Morrison, executive director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation, which is co-hosting the event.
Other Jordan Brand schools include UCLA, Houston, and Georgetown. I think Michigan fans would relish another opportunity to play UCLA again and avenge last season’s Elite Eight loss.