MN Gophers Announce 2014-15 Men’s Basketball Schedule

The University of Minnesota men’s basketball team will host 17 games at Williams Arena, as the full 2014-15 schedule was announced today by the team and the Big Ten Conference.

After a home exhibition contest on Thursday, November 6 against in-state foe Minnesota-Duluth, the Gophers officially kick off the season in primetime on Friday, November 14. Minnesota will face the Louisville Cardinals at 6 p.m. in the third annual Armed Forces Classic on ESPN, squaring off inside the hangar of United States Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.

The Gophers return to the mainland and to the Barn for their first home game early the following week, hosting a first-round opponent in the NIT Season Tip Off on Monday or Tuesday, Nov. 17-18. Another home game follows on Saturday, Nov. 22 against UMBC, before NIT play continues in New York City. Minnesota returns to the site of their 2014 championship, Madison Square Garden, and will play on Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 26 and 28.

Once finalized, the full NIT Season Tip-Off bracket and schedule will be released at a later time.

Minnesota’s road trip continues into December, traveling to Wake Forest on Tuesday, Dec. 2 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (6 p.m., ESPNU).  A six-game homestand follows, as the Gophers close out non-conference play at Williams Arena facing Western Carolina (Fri., Dec. 5), North Dakota (Mon., Dec. 8), Southern (Wed., Dec. 10), Seattle University (Fri., Dec. 19), Furman (Mon., Dec. 22) and UNC Wilmington (Sat., Dec. 27).

Big Ten Conference play begins in West Lafayette, Ind., for the Maroon and Gold as they open their conference schedule on New Year’s Eve at Purdue. Three days later, Minnesota travels to B1G newcomer Maryland for a Saturday contest in the two teams’ first meeting since 2008.

The Gophers’ first home Big Ten game comes on ESPN Super Tuesday, Jan. 6, hosting Ohio State at 8 p.m. A road test at Michigan (Sat., Jan. 10) is followed by a pair of home games against Iowa (Tue., Jan. 13) and Rutgers (Sat., Jan. 17). Minnesota begins a home-and-home at Nebraska on Tue., Jan. 20 and hosts Illinois that Saturday (Jan. 24), before visiting Penn State (Wed., Jan. 28) and hosting the Cornhuskers to close out the month on Sat., Jan. 31.

After a midweek bye, the Gophers begin February on Saturday the 7^th, hosting Purdue. The following week, Minnesota travels to Iowa (Thu., Feb. 12) and Indiana (Sun., Feb. 15). Breaking up a stretch of four out of five on the road is a home contest on Wed., Feb. 18 against Northwestern, as the Gophers finish the road portion of their schedule with trips to Wisconsin (Sat., Feb. 21) and Michigan State (Thu., Feb. 26).

Minnesota closes out the 2014-15 regular season with a pair of home games, hosting the rival Badgers on Thursday, March 5 before finishing up with Penn State on Sunday, March 8 at the Barn.

The 2014-15 Big Ten Tournament will be contested from Wednesday through Sunday, March 11-15, at the United Center in Chicago.

Game times and television information will be announced at a later date.