Niko Medved’s second year in Minneapolis is bringing a different kind of non-conference schedule for Minnesota basketball - one with more bite, more travel and far fewer soft spots.
The Golden Gophers unveiled their 2026-27 slate Friday, and it reads like a coach leaning into the challenge instead of steering around it. There are road tests, neutral-site games and a marquee early-season event, all before Big Ten play even shows up on the calendar.
Minnesota will start with two exhibition games, hosting Omaha on Oct. 15 and then heading to Creighton on Oct. 23. That trip to Omaha stands out right away as an uncommon move, giving the Gophers a chance to get a road look against a program that’s been a regular NCAA Tournament-level team.
The regular season opens Nov. 2 against North Dakota, followed by a Nov. 6 home date with St. Thomas. That matchup will be the first between the programs since the Tommies moved to Division I.
Then the schedule starts to stretch Minnesota.
A Nov. 9 trip to Cincinnati gives the Gophers one of their most appealing true road non-conference games in recent years, and it comes as part of a home-and-home series. After that, Minnesota heads to Charleston, South Carolina, for the Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic from Nov. 20-22, locking in two games against quality opponents on a national stage.
The travel doesn’t let up. Minnesota plays California on Nov. 28 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, then later meets ACC newcomer SMU on Dec. 12 in Frisco, Texas, in another neutral-site matchup.
There are still plenty of home dates mixed in, with Southern, Western Illinois, Texas Southern, Alcorn State and UTSA all scheduled for Williams Arena. But the overall tone of the slate is much tougher than what Gopher fans have gotten used to.
Before the calendar turns to 2027, Minnesota will have faced Creighton in an exhibition, plus Cincinnati, Charleston Classic opponents, California and SMU away from home or at neutral sites. That’s the kind of collection of games that can tell a team plenty about itself before conference play begins.
For a program trying to keep moving forward under Medved, the message is pretty clear. This is not a schedule built just to stack early wins.
“We want to play meaningful games,” Medved has said repeatedly since arriving in Minneapolis. This one fits that line exactly.
Minnesota 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule
Exhibitions
Oct. 15: Omaha
Oct. 23: at Creighton
Regular Season
Nov. 2: North Dakota
Nov. 6: St. Thomas
Nov. 9: at Cincinnati
Nov. 12: Southern
Nov. 16: Western Illinois
Nov. 20: Charleston Classic (Opponent TBD)
Nov. 22: Charleston Classic (Opponent TBD)
Nov. 28: California (Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls)
Dec. 12: SMU (Frisco, Texas)
Dec. 16: Texas Southern
Dec. 20: Alcorn State
Dec. 29: UTSA
In Other News...
Niko Medved Just Set A Tougher Early Test For Minnesota
Minnesota has put together its 2026-27 non-conference basketball slate, and Niko Medved is not easing into his first full season with the Gophers. The 12-game schedule, along with two exhibition dates, brings a mix of familiar regional opponents and tougher road tests, with games against North Dakota, Cincinnati, Southern, Western Illinois, Utah and Oklahoma State among the early checkpoints.
Medved said the schedule is tougher than the one Minnesota played last season, and the shape of it suggests a staff trying to speed up the learning curve before Big Ten play arrives. There is local interest built in, too, with St. Thomas on the list, while the overall balance of high-major and lower-level opponents should give Minnesota a clearer picture of where it stands long before January. [Read more 🡒]