HANGZHOU, China – Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott joined Alibaba Group Executive Chairman Jack Ma, Executive Vice Chairman Joe Tsai and University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce for a Q&A board room session on Tuesday morning from the Alibaba campus in Hangzhou.

Alibaba, the world’s largest mobile and online commerce company, is the Pac-12’s presenting sponsor for the upcoming regular season opener between the Washington and Texas men’s basketball teams. The contest will be played at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. local time, and be broadcast back in the United States on ESPN at 7 p.m. PT on Friday.

“I can’t think of a better partner than Alibaba,” Scott said. “It seems to me two of the most transformative things going on in society are really around education and technology. That is a great link between Alibaba and our schools.”

[Related: Larry Scott, Bill Walton and Joe Tsai discuss state of college athletics in China]

Ma admittedly said he didn’t know much about the Pac-12 before the partnership, but it made perfect sense once he learned more about the Conference of Champions. He also called the Washington-Texas pairing “destiny,” saying that his first flight to the United States was through Seattle and that he bought his first computer in 1995 in Dallas.

“I spent all of my money,” Ma said.

Four years later he founded Alibaba, which has since grown into one of the world’s most recognizable and influential brands. When discussing his company and its collaboration with the Pac-12, Ma was excited to support an enterprise that promotes young people, teamwork, education and cultural growth.

“China needs to play like a team,” Ma said. “Young people have to play like a team. … I’m very excited that you are bringing young people here, bringing your wonderful sports here. I want to continue to work with you to make sure that these sports, this relationship, this friendship continues.

“China is going to be important to the United States and the U.S. is going to be important to China. Two nations working together. Two nations of young people working together.”

Following the board room meeting, Washington and Texas' student-athletes and team staff practiced at the Alibaba gym, received a tour of the company's campus and enjoyed an educational symposium on Alibaba and global economics.