December 17-18, 2024
Spectrum Center
333 E Trade St.
Charlotte, NC 28202
Tickets: $59.20 plus
The Jumpman Invitational returns for its third year in the Queen City featuring the original four schools to sign partnership deals with Jordan Brand in both basketball and football: Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
The Tar Heels men’s team will have a tough matchup to kick off the first of four games at Spectrum Center, taking on the undefeated No. 9 ranked Florida Gators. Led by sharp-shooting senior guard, Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators are outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 21.1 points per game in their 10 wins. The Tar heels are coming off back-to-back wins against Georgia Tech and La Salle, but have lost all four of their games against ranked teams so far this season.
The second game on Tuesday night will feature the No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners women taking on the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines. The Sooners are led by junior center Raegan Beers, who is averaging 18.1 points on a remarkable 72.8% shooting with 9.4 rebounds a game. The Wolverines have won nine in a row since losing to No. 1 South Carolina in their season-opener in Vegas. Their five-star freshman guard tandem of Syla Swords and Olivia Olson are averaging a combined 33.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per outing, and will need to come up big to take down the Sooners.
The No. 14 Tar Heels women’s team will tip off against the Florida Gators for the first game on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels have only lost to powerhouse UConn (No. 2) and Georgia Tech (No. 25) this year, winning seven of their last eight games, including a 19-point win over No. 14 Kentucky. The Tar Heels have a balanced attack with six players averaging over eight points a game led by senior guard Alyssa Ustby (11.6).
The final game of the Jumpman Invitational will pit two top-15 men’s teams against each other with the Michigan Wolverines (No. 14) taking on the Oklahoma Sooners (No. 13). The undefeated Sooners are coming off an impressive win against in-state rivals Oklahoma St., led by senior forward Sam Godwin’s 20 points and 14 rebounds. Michigan will need to focus their attention on defending Oklahoma’s athletic two-way wing, Jalon Moore, who is averaging 17.5 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, and explosive freshman guard, Jeremiah Fears. The Wolverines suffered a tough two-point loss to John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks last week, and will need their four upperclassmen Vladislav Goldin, Roddy Gayle Jr., Danny Wolf, and Tre Donaldson (who are all averaging double-digit points per game) to bounce back strong.
Jumpman Invitational Schedule:
Tuesday, December 17
7:00 p.m. – Florida (Men) vs. North Carolina (Men)
9:30 p.m. – Michigan (Women) vs. Oklahoma (Women)
Wednesday, December 18
7:00 p.m. – Florida (Women) vs. North Carolina (Women)
9:30 p.m. – Michigan (Men) vs. Oklahoma (Men)
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