Gophers Basketball to Play at the Pentagon

Niko Medved’s hiring has reinvigorated the Minnesota Gophers basketball program, even before he has coached his first game at The Barn. Medved brings a level of success from Colorado State that the Gophers program hasn’t seen since the 90s, back when he was a student manager.

To help his recruiting cause early on, it appears football coach PJ Fleck — who just signed a fresh contract extension over the weekend — is conceding some of his new class action revshare money to the men’s basketball program. The hope is that an additional ~$2 million will boost his chances on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.

The Pentagon will host Minnesota Gophers basketball game

Medved has suggested that he’s a fan of The Barn and doesn’t want to see it replaced. For at least one game of the 2024-25 season though, his Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team will play at a neutral site against a new non-conference opponent.

The venue is known as The Pentagon… but it’s not in Washington D.C. Instead, the Gophers and Dons will tip-off their non-conference matchup on November 22 at The Pentagon arena in Sioux Falls, SD.

Minnesota will play San Francisco at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Nov. 22, source told @TheFieldOf68.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) July 8, 2025

Looks like the Minnesota Gophers basketball team will have to wait for their invite to the White House, after winning the NCAA Championship next March… (haha). November’s matchup will be held at the Sanford Pentagon, an old-school small arena with a capacity of just 3,250.

How good are the San Francisco Dons?

If that date sounds familiar, it’s because P.J. Fleck’s football team will be facing off against Northwestern at Wrigley Field that same day. Medved has the Gophers lined up for 10 total non-conference games next season.

San Francisco finished 25-10 last season and did best Minnesota 76-58 in their last matchup, back in 2023. Each of the past two seasons, the Dons have settled for invites to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

Related: Gopher Football Conceding Chunk of New RevShare Money to Men’s Basketball?

They last danced in 2021-22, when they lost in the first round as a 10-seed, but they are a yearly contender in the West Coast Conference, where they are regularly knocked off late in the WCC Tournament by Gonzaga.

In recent weeks, Niko Medved had made it known that the Minnesota Gophers were looking for one more quality non-conference opponent before the start of the 2025-26 season. He found that with the Dons, who immediately become the Gophers’ toughest non-conference opponent on the schedule.