Tulane to meet Washington in 2020 Pac-12 China Game

SHANGHAI – The Tulane University and University of Washington men’s basketball programs will meet in 2020 in the sixth edition of the Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group, according to an announce by the Pac-12 Conference.

The matchup between the Huskies and Green Wave is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, November 14 and for national broadcast in both the U.S. and China. The announcement was made before tipoff of the 2019 Arizona State-Colorado China Game at Baoshan Sports Center in Shanghai, and one day after another successful edition of the China-U.S. University Sports and Education Summit at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our student-athletes to take part in a once-in-a-lifetime experience against an elite-level opponent in the University of Washington,” said Tulane Director of Athletics Troy Dannen. “I would like to thank the Pac-12 Conference for their invitation to our institution to compete in this world-class event. The Pac-12 China Game represents our institutional vision of providing international opportunities for our student-athletes and we are thrilled to be part of this contest.”

In its first season under head coach Ron Hunter, Tulane possesses one of just five Chinese-born players in NCAA Division I for the 2019-20 campaign in 6-10 sophomore forward and Shenyang, China native Kevin Zhang. He is also the son of 1992 Olympic silver medalist and former China Women’s National Team coach Wang Fang.

“It’s going to be really exciting for me,” Zhang said. “I’ve been in the U.S. for six years, but my parents have never been able to see me play. I can’t wait to introduce the Chinese culture to my teammates. My coaches and friends have helped me adapt to the culture on and off the court here, and now I’m going to be able to introduce them to Chinese culture.”

Longtime Pac-12 partner Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC), which operates under China’s Ministry of Education, will serve as the co-host for the game. The Pac-12 China Game is the flagship event of Pac-12 Global, designed to create unique educational experiences for Pac-12 student-athletes, foster cultural exchange through sport, and grow the global popularity of Pac-12 athletic programs and universities.

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