In three weeks, Richard Pitino's Gophers open their college basketball season with the rest of the country, but their nonconference schedule is still being put together.
Nothing is for certain during the pandemic, but the plan is for Pitino's 2020-21 team to make its debut Nov. 25 against Green Bay at Williams Arena.
After that the new schedule is a work in progress.
The Gophers are working toward hosting a multi-team event (MTE) to play Eastern Washington on Nov. 28 and Loyola Marymount on Nov. 30 at the Barn, sources told the Star Tribune. They are also still looking for an opponent to play Dec. 12.
As of now, the Gophers have figured out six of their seven nonconference games, including Dec. 4 against North Dakota, Dec. 8 against Boston College and Dec. 20 against St. Louis -- all at home.
The Boston College game was announced as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge last week, but it might also be the only high-major opponent the Gophers face outside of the Big Ten this regular season. They backed out of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Connecticut, and pushed the home-and-home series with Mississippi State to start next season. Both changes were mainly because of travel risks with COVID-19.
Last season, Pitino had arguably the toughest nonconference schedule during his tenure with seven games in November, including four against high-major opponents. It backfired with losses to Oklahoma, Butler and Utah away from home – and also DePaul at the Barn.
Eastern Washington finished 23-8 last season, winning the Big Sky regular season championship. The Eagles return four starters, including Big Sky preseason player of the year candidate and guard Jacob Davidson (18.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game). Kim Aiken Jr., a 6-foot-7 junior, averaged 13.3 points and a conference-leading 9.7 rebounds last season.
