Nov 30, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A general view of Williams Arena prior to the game against the Minnesota Gophers and Loyola Marymount Lions. Mandatory Credit: Harrison Barden-Imagn Images Harrison Barden-Imagn Images

Gophers basketball announces 2025 nonconference schedule with limited resume boosters

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 1:07 PM ET

The Minnesota Gophers have officially released the 2025 men's basketball nonconference schedule. The Niko Medved era will officially begin on November 3 against Gardner-Webb at Williams Arena.

Picture via: @tonyliebert (X)

Before regular season play begins, Minnesota will play a pair of exhibition games in October against North Dakota State and North Dakota. This is a notable change, as they've hosted a local Division I or Division II school to open every season since 2010-11.

Minnesota's 11-game nonconference schedule will feature six teams that finished outside the top 250 of last season's final KenPom.com analytical ratings. The only nonconference opponent that will play at Williams Arena who finished inside the top 250 is Campbell, which was No. 220 at the end of the season.

Missouri, San Francisco, and Stanford all finished last season inside the top 81. Santa Clara was No. 59, and St. Louis was No. 121. The Gophers will travel to Columbia to face the Tigers, and the matchup with San Francisco will be at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. They will face Stanford, and then Santa Clara or St. Louis, at the Acrisure Invitational in California.

A true road game is a significant change and a serious improvement from Minnesota's abysmal nonconference schedule last season, but their home slate before conference play is somehow worse than last year's.

Nonconference schedules go a long way in building a team's resume for the NCAA Tournament, and Minnesota will have very little margin for error once again. Missouri could very easily be their only Quadrant 1 opportunity before Big Ten play begins. San Francisco, Stanford, and Santa Clara/St. Louis are all likely bubble teams for the tourney, at best.