In surprising news this morning, the University of Minnesota announced the Golden Gophers will play the University of St. Thomas in basketball games this year. The men’s teams will meet at Williams Arena on November 6 while the women’s teams are scheduled at the “Barn” on December 1.
There have been past conversations about the state’s two Division I men’s programs meeting on the court. St. Thomas coach John Tauer and Minnesota coach Niko Medved spoke to Sports Headliners about a potential game last year.
“We’ve said for four years, and we continue to say, we’d love to play the Gophers either in a …game at their place or start a home and home series,” Tauer told Sports Headliners in 2025. ” We’d love to play them in a regular season game and our (future) schedule is wide open.”
Last year Medved didn’t dismiss the idea of a game but noted there are many factors that go into determining the nonconference schedule. These can include timing on the calendar, prior commitments with other teams, logistics, finances and resume building for an NCAA Tournament invite.
Medved was interested a year ago in meeting the Tommies in an exhibition game opening up the new St. Thomas arena. St. Thomas didn’t want the first ever game in the multi-use Lee and Penny Anderson Arena to be an exhibition and had a commitment to play Army in its opener. The UST women’s team also played the Cadets in a historic doubleheader.
Now things have changed. Medved told Sports Headliners this morning he reached out to St. Thomas about scheduling the November 6 game that falls on a Friday night. He liked the date in how it lines up with his nonconference schedule, and he likes the idea of the two local Division I programs playing a game. He knew of fan interest because he was asked about a potential game almost immediately after he became Minnesota’s head coach in March of 2025.
“We’re excited to have St. Thomas on campus for a game this year,” Medved said in a statement. “Having two Division I programs right here in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is great for the sport, and I know it’s something fans are really looking forward to seeing. Our schedules were able to align this year, so it seemed like a perfect time to create a fun environment here at the ‘Barn.’ ”
Not surprisingly as a Power Four conference school, the Gophers will be the home team for both games and keep most of the revenue for the matchups that could produce the largest attendances for Minnesota’s nonconference men’s and women’s games in 2026-2027.
The Gophers play in the prestigious Big Ten while the Tommies are in the mid-major Summit League. The Gophers will be favored in both games and upsets in either matchup will be a grand opportunity for the Tommies to flaunt their reputation. “We’re going to have to play at our best,” Medved told Sports Headliners.
Since entering Division I competition in 2021-2022, the Tommies have become a force in the Summit League. They nearly earned their way into an NCAA Tournament invite earlier this year. In coaching circles among power conference schools, it’s believed that few programs want to schedule the upstart Tommies led by Tauer, a superb coach.
The NCAA selection committee splits Division I teams into four quadrants to evaluate their schedules and value in determining an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. In that context Medved’s game against the Tommies poses risk.
“It doesn’t do a ton for us as far as putting together your resume for the NCAA Tournament,” he told Sports Headliners. “It’s going to be a Quad 3 game (mid-tier foe). The hardest games to play sometimes are these Quad 3 opponents that are good enough to beat you. And you lose to one and that can really damage your resume, meaning it doesn’t do much for you. That’s the tricky part. …”
Fans should revel in this year’s game for its uniqueness. “I am not going to play them every year,” he told Sports Headliners. “That doesn’t make sense for us to do that.”
So, there will be no series involving the two schools. Just the possibility of a future matchup down the road. “I am not saying we’ll never play them again,” Medved said.
In November the Gophers and Tommies will play for the first time in men’s basketball since 1934. The Gophers are 6-1 in the all-time series.
The December game will be the first for the women’s basketball Gophers and Tommies. “…There is tremendous support for women’s basketball across the state, and we look forward to a terrific atmosphere on game day,” coach Dawn Plitzuweit said in a statement.
In Plitzuweit’s third season as Gophers coach, her 2025-26 team made the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in two decades. The Gophers could be a top 25 team next season. They return All-Big Ten selections Mara Braun, Tori McKinney and Grace Grocholski. Plus, they have added valued transfers and incoming freshmen.
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