Minnesota Basketball: Breaking down Gophers 2024-25 non-conference schedule
Regular Season Games
The newcomers on the Gopher roster will get well acquainted with Williams Arena in short order this season, as the team opens up with their first six games at home, not including a pair of exhibition games. That should give this team an opportunity to mesh, but also leaves them perhaps unprepared when they do travel away from home, beginning with the ESPN Events Invitational.
November 6 vs. Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts will be searching for their first ever victory against the Gophers when they kick off their 2024-25 season in Minneapolis. It shouldn't of come as much of a surprise the Golden Eagles took a notable step backwards after losing Max Abmas and longtime head coach Paul Mills, but going 12-19 overall and 5-11 in the Summit League came off as a surprise. Isaac McBride gives ORU a volume scorer who could give the Gophers trouble, considering the turnover they had this offseason on the wings.
November 9 vs. Nebraska-Omaha
It will be another Summit League opponent a few days later for Minnesota, as they welcome Nebraska-Omaha to town. The Mavericks are another team looking to flip the switch after a sub-.500 season in 2023-24 but without star forward Frankie Fidler, who is now a Michigan State Spartan, do they have anyone to counter Dawson Garcia on the block?
November 13 vs. North Texas
Since upsetting Purdue back in 2021, it's been a run of NIT appearances for the Mean Green, but they could pose a challenge to the Gophers. Even though Grant McCasland is elsewhere, this team still plays his signature brand of smothering on-ball defense, and they'll force the Gophers to hit tough shots all night long.
November 16 vs. Yale
Yale was among the darlings of last year's NCAA Tournament, albeit for a short time, after upsetting Auburn in the first round. Whether that carries over into this November in this era of modern college basketball with so much turnover remains to be seen, but this is another team Minnesota should not underestimate.
November 19 vs. Cleveland State
Cleveland State will be without their top three scorers from last year's team that finished 21-15 overall and 11-9 in the Horizon League, so any hopes of an upset will hinge on this new-look roster figuring things out quickly. Tevin Smith gives them a potential breakout candidate and Chase Robinson finished last year strong, but the Gophers should still be heavy favorites.
November 25 vs. Central Michigan
The final game before Minnesota heads to Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational, could this be a trap game for the Gophers? The Chippewas are rarely a pushover, but it's hard to know whether they have the offensive firepower to compete with the Gophers over the course of 40 minutes.
December 1 vs. Bethune-Cookman
After heading to Orlando, the Gophers wrap up their non-conference with three games that should be easy victories for them, at least on paper. That begins with Bethune-Cookman, who Minnesota beat by 20 last season. Dawson Garcia dominated that night with 23 points, 14 boards, and six assists, and should be the offensive centerpiece once more in this one.
December 21 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
The magic of the 2023 NCAA Tournament wore off quickly for Fairleigh Dickinson after they finished 15-17 last season. This one will be smack dab in the middle of a tough stretch for them that includes Villanova, La Salle, and Boston College in addition to the Gophers.
December 29 vs. Morgan State
This is the type of game the Gophers should have no issues with as a tune-up ahead of their Big Ten schedule, but they can't get caught looking ahead. Morgan State lost 20 games a season ago, but will come to the Twin Cities with nothing to lose before they begin their conferenc