The
full 2015-16 Minnesota men’s basketball schedule is set, as head coach
Richard Pitino and the Gophers announced their upcoming non-conference
slate on Monday. It features eight home games at Williams Arena along
with strong neutral site competition leading up to the 18-game Big Ten
regular season.
Game times and television information will be announced at a later date.
“We
believe that this year’s non-conference schedule will be an excellent
test for our young team,” said Pitino. “In putting together the
schedule, we wanted to ensure quality competition in order to prepare
the team for the rigors of Big Ten play, while also providing a chance
for our team to grow and improve.”
The
Gophers will play two exhibition games in early November, hosting
Minnesota Crookston (Nov. 1) and Southwest Minnesota State (Nov. 6) at
Williams Arena. On Friday, November 13, the season officially opens as
Minnesota welcomes Missouri-Kansas City, then hosts Louisiana-Monroe two
days later (Nov. 15).
Next
up is a return to Puerto Rico for the second straight year, where the
Gophers will take part in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. Playing three games
in four days beginning with the Temple Owls (Nov. 19), the Maroon and
Gold will also compete on Friday, November 20 and Sunday, November 22 in
San Juan.
After
Thanksgiving, the Gophers open a four-game homestand beginning with
Nebraska Omaha (Nov. 27). That game is followed by the 2015 Big Ten/ACC
Challenge, in which Minnesota will host Clemson on Monday, November 30.
Home games follow against South Dakota (December 5) and South Dakota
State (December 8).
In
their final contest away from home before starting conference play, the
Gophers will make the short trip to Sioux Falls, S.D., to square off
against Oklahoma State at the Sanford Pentagon on Saturday, Dec. 12.
Minnesota
rounds out its non-conference schedule at home, hosting Chicago State
(Dec. 16) and Milwaukee (Dec. 23) on back-to-back Wednesdays.
Minnesota
will begin conference play on the road at Ohio State on Wednesday,
December 30, before its home B1G opener on Saturday, January 2 against
2015 Final Four participant Michigan State, who the Gophers defeated in
East Lansing last season in their lone matchup. The Gophers alternate
home-and-away for their next six games, with midweek road trips to Penn
State (Jan. 5), Nebraska (Jan. 12) and Michigan (Jan. 20) each followed
by Saturday home games against Northwestern (Jan. 9), Indiana (Jan. 16)
and Illinois (Jan. 23). The following Wednesday, the Gophers host Purdue
(Jan. 27) in their first two-game B1G homestand, before closing out
January at Indiana (Jan. 30).
The only two-game road trip of the conference season, the Maroon and Gold remain on the road traveling to Northwestern on Thursday, February 4 before their first bye comes on the first weekend of the month. A home game against Michigan (Feb. 10) is followed by a Valentine’s Day trip to rival Iowa (Feb. 14), and back-to-back home games against Maryland (Feb. 18) and Rutgers (Feb. 23). The two contests against the conference’s new members are split up by Minnesota’s second bye of the season, also coming on a weekend.
Two of the Gophers’ final three games come on the road, as Minnesota travels to Illinois (Feb. 28) for the first time in three years. The final home game of the year comes on Wednesday, March 2 against rival Wisconsin, before closing out the regular season at Rutgers three days later (Mar. 5).
The only two-game road trip of the conference season, the Maroon and Gold remain on the road traveling to Northwestern on Thursday, February 4 before their first bye comes on the first weekend of the month. A home game against Michigan (Feb. 10) is followed by a Valentine’s Day trip to rival Iowa (Feb. 14), and back-to-back home games against Maryland (Feb. 18) and Rutgers (Feb. 23). The two contests against the conference’s new members are split up by Minnesota’s second bye of the season, also coming on a weekend.
Two of the Gophers’ final three games come on the road, as Minnesota travels to Illinois (Feb. 28) for the first time in three years. The final home game of the year comes on Wednesday, March 2 against rival Wisconsin, before closing out the regular season at Rutgers three days later (Mar. 5).
Minnesota will compete for the Big Ten Tournament title from March 9-13 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
2015-16 Gopher Men’s Basketball Schedule (game times TBA)
|
Date
|
Day
|
Opponent
|
|
11/1/15
|
Sun.
|
Minnesota Crookston (Exhibition)
|
|
11/6/15
|
Fri.
|
Southwest Minnesota State (Exhibition)
|
|
11/13/15
|
Fri.
|
Missouri-Kansas City
|
|
11/15/15
|
Sun.
|
Louisiana-Monroe
|
| | ||
|
Puerto Rico Tip-Off (Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan)
| ||
|
11/19/15
|
Thu.
|
Temple
|
|
11/20/15
|
Fri.
|
Butler/Missouri State
|
|
11/22/15
|
Sun.
|
TBD
|
| | | |
|
11/27/15
|
Fri.
|
Nebraska Omaha
|
|
11/30/15
|
Mon.
|
Clemson
|
|
12/5/15
|
Sat.
|
South Dakota
|
|
12/8/15
|
Tue.
|
South Dakota State
|
|
12/12/15
|
Sat.
|
vs. Oklahoma State (at Sioux Falls, S.D.)
|
|
12/16/15
|
Wed.
|
Chicago State
|
|
12/23/15
|
Wed.
|
Wisconsin-Milwaukee
|
|
12/30/15
|
Wed.
|
at Ohio State
|
|
1/2/16
|
Sat.
|
Michigan State
|
|
1/5/16
|
Tue.
|
at Penn State
|
|
1/9/16
|
Sat.
|
Northwestern
|
|
1/12/16
|
Tue.
|
at Nebraska
|
|
1/16/16
|
Sat.
|
Indiana
|
|
1/20/16
|
Wed.
|
at Michigan
|
|
1/23/16
|
Sat.
|
Illinois
|
|
1/27/16
|
Wed.
|
Purdue
|
|
1/30/16
|
Sat.
|
at Indiana
|
|
2/4/16
|
Thu.
|
at Northwestern
|
|
2/10/16
|
Wed.
|
Michigan
|
|
2/14/16
|
Sun.
|
at Iowa
|
|
2/18/16
|
Thu.
|
Maryland
|
|
2/23/16
|
Tue.
|
Rutgers
|
|
2/28/16
|
Sun.
|
at Illinois
|
|
3/2/16
|
Wed.
|
Wisconsin
|
|
3/5/16
|
Sat.
|
at Rutgers
|
|
3/9/15-
3/13/15
|
Wed.-Sun.
|
Big Ten Tournament
(Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)
|
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