Michigan men’s and women’s basketball teams to play in inaugural Jumpman Invitational

The Michigan Wolverines men’s and women’s basketball programs have emerged as one of the best 1-2 punches in all of college sports over the last few seasons. Now, they will be given a spotlight in a new event.

The Jordan Brand and Charlotte Sports Foundation announced on Thursday morning that both programs will take part in a new tournament called the Jumpman Invitational set for December 20-21 of 2022.

Joining Michigan in the tournament will be Florida, North Carolina and Oklahoma. These four schools were selected as a nod to being the first four athletic programs to sign a deal with the Jordan Brand for football and basketball.

Release below:

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA (July 8th, 2021) – The Charlotte Sports Foundation today announced a three-year deal with Jordan Brand to host the Jumpman Invitational, a major holiday college basketball event in the Queen City. The inaugural gathering, slated for Dec. 20-21, 2022, will feature both the men’s and women’s teams from the original four schools to sign partnership deals with Jordan Brand in both basketball and football: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

All games will be played in Charlotte’s Spectrum Center in partnership with Hornets Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets and operates the facility. The schedule will feature two games each night, with matchups and game times still to be determined. ESPN networks will air all four games, with ESPN Events working in conjunction with CSF to maximize the event’s success in front of a global audience.

This is a tremendous idea across the board and one that fans should be looking forward to. Much of the attention has been paid to what Juwan Howard has done with the men, but Kim Barnes Arico has pulled off an incredibly impressive run with the women’s program. Given the explosion in popularity of women’s basketball over the last number of years, this is a great chance for a spotlight for both programs.

This is also where we sneak in that Maize n Brew would love to bring in a women’s basketball writer. If interested, reach out to us at maizenbrewmedia@gmail.com.