SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Nebraska Cornhuskers men’s and women’s basketball programs will play at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during a weekend of Division I matchups in November. The women will play South Dakota on Saturday, Nov. 16, and the men will face Saint Mary’s on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Tickets to both games will be available at 10 a.m. CST Aug. 15 on ticketmaster.com.
For the men, this marks the third appearance for the Cornhuskers at the Sanford Pentagon while the Gaels will be playing at the Pentagon for the fifth time. This will be the first game for the Nebraska women on Heritage Court and the 11th for the USD women.
“This will be an unprecedented weekend of Division I basketball at the Sanford Pentagon with four teams coming off outstanding years resulting in trips to the post season,” said Jesse Smith, vice president of Sanford Sports. “Hosting premier games on back-to-back days is the perfect way to get fans excited about the start of the college basketball season.”
Nebraska returns seven letterwinners, including three starters, from a team that went 23-11 and reached the NCAA Tournament for Big Ten Coach of the Year Fred Hoiberg. The Huskers are led by seniors Brice Williams, who averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and Juwan Gary, who averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The Huskers also gain the services of seven transfers who have combined for 264 starts and 3,478 career points, 1753 rebounds and 759 assists at their previous schools. Nebraska is 2-0 in its two previous games in the Sanford Pentagon, including a win over Oklahoma State in 2018 and last year’s win over Oregon State
“Returning to the Sanford Pentagon to play Saint Mary’s is a great opportunity for our basketball team,” said Hoiberg. “Our players and coaches enjoyed playing in Sioux Falls last year, and our fans made it a phenomenal atmosphere. We appreciate the work that Sanford Sports has done to put together this year’s match-up. Saint Mary’s has been in three straight NCAA Tournaments and is one of the best programs in the country, so it will be a very good early-season test for our team. We have a lot of Nebraska alumni in the Sioux Falls region and look forward to seeing the Pentagon full of Husker fans for both the men’s and women’s games that weekend.”
Saint Mary’s won the WCC regular season and conference tournament last season, finishing the year with a 26-8 record that included a third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Gaels previously played at the Sanford Pentagon on Nov. 5, 2019, defeating Wisconsin, 65-63 in overtime. Head coach Randy Bennett’s team returned to Heritage Court for the 2020 Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic, finishing the 3-game tournament with a 2-1 record.
“We’re excited to add another top tier opponent like Nebraska to our non-conference schedule. As an opponent, Nebraska will prove to be an excellent test for our team as they continue to grow together amidst the 2024-25 season,” said Bennett. “In addition, we’re excited to return to the Sanford Pentagon. We had the opportunity to play in this excellent arena in the 2020-21 season, and we are excited to return for more basketball action this year!”
For the Husker men, today’s matchup is the second announced game for the 2024-25 schedule, as Nebraska will travel to Creighton on Friday, Nov. 22. The remainder of the non-conference schedule will be announced later this summer.
Huskers to Clash with Coyotes at Sanford Pentagon
The Nebraska women’s basketball team will take on South Dakota at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls early in the non-conference season, Head Coach Amy Williams announced on Tuesday, June 18.
The game between the Huskers and Coyotes is set for Saturday, Nov. 16, and will be played ahead of a battle between the Nebraska men and Saint Mary’s on Sunday, Nov. 17 at the Sanford Pentagon.
“We are excited to take our team to play at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls for the first time,” Williams said. “It is an incredible basketball venue and it will be a great environment against a great opponent. We are also looking forward to seeing lots of Husker fans there to support us!”
Tickets to both the Nebraska men’s and women’s basketball games will be available beginning on Thursday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. (CT) through ticketmaster.com.
It will be the first game for the Nebraska women at the Sanford Pentagon, while the South Dakota women will be playing their 11th game all-time on Heritage Court. The Husker men will be making their third appearance in Sioux Falls, while Saint Mary’s will be making its fifth trip to the Pentagon.
“This will be an unprecedented weekend of Division I basketball at the Sanford Pentagon with four teams coming off outstanding years resulting in trips to the postseason,” Vice President of Sanford Sports Jesse Smith said. “Hosting premier games on back-to-back days is the perfect way to get fans excited about the start of the college basketball season.”
The Husker women’s basketball team is coming off a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after advancing to the Big Ten Championship Game and finishing with a 23-12 overall record. Williams, a native of Spearfish, S.D., is entering her ninth season leading Nebraska after spending three seasons (2013-16) at the head coach at South Dakota.
Nebraska will be led on the court by first-team All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski (Lincoln, Neb.), along with Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Year Natalie Potts. The Huskers also return Big Ten All-Freshman selection Logan Nissley (Bismarck, N.D.), along with 2023-24 part-time starters Kendall Moriarty and Callin Hake (Victoria, Minn.). Allison Weidner (Humphrey, Neb.), a starting guard for the Huskers in 2021-22 and 2022-23, also plans to make her return while two-time Nebraska High School Player-of-the-Year Britt Prince (Omaha, Neb.) is expected to make her collegiate road debut.
The Coyotes went 23-13 last season and advanced to the WNIT Super 16. New USD head coach Carrie Eighmey is a Nebraska native who enters her first season in Vermillion after serving as the head coach at Idaho in 2023-24. Eighmey was the head coach at Nebraska-Kearney for eight seasons (2015-23) after leading Hastings College (2012-15) for three seasons.
Nebraska’s game date with South Dakota in Sioux Falls is the first non-conference game to be announced on NU’s 2024-25 schedule. More non-conference games will be released in the coming weeks.
For the most up-to-date schedule information, visit Huskers.com.
