University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, November 22
Sioux Falls, SD
4:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
San Francisco
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers Visit Sioux Falls for Battle at Sanford Pentagon
11/20/2025 1:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Peacock/NBCSN (Chris Vosters - pbp, Matt McCall - analyst)
Tip Time: 4:32 p.m.
Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 (Tanner Hoops, Al Nolen)
SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Series: USF Leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 26, 2023 (USF W, 76-58)
Minnesota Record vs. Current WCC Schools: 17-5
Minnesota Record at Sanford Pentagon: 1-2
Medved vs. San Francisco: First Meeting
SIOUX FALLS FOOTBALL WATCH PARTY
• Heading to Sioux Falls? Start your day with fellow Minnesota fans at Blue Rock Bar and Grill, located next to the Sanford Pentagon, as we watch Gopher Football take on Northwestern at 11 a.m.! Blue Rock Bar and Grill is located at 4021 Bobhalla Dr, Sioux Falls, SD 57107.
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Gopher men's basketball team hits the road for a neutral site game against San Francisco, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be played in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Sanford Pentagon. Saturday's game marks the fourth time the Gophers have played at the Pentagon and the first since the 2019-20 season. Minnesota is 1-2 all-time at the Pentagon, dating back to 2015. Minnesota's first trip to the Pentagon was on Dec. 12, 2015, when the Gophers fell, 62-60, to Oklahoma State. The Gophers defeated Vanderbilt 56-52 on Dec. 3, 2016, and Minnesota's last visit was on Nov. 9, 2019, in a 71-62 loss to Oklahoma.
• Minnesota is coming off a 66-54 win over Chicago State Tuesday night at Williams Arena. Minnesota led by as many as 14 points early, and the Gophers had a seven-point halftime lead that grew to an 11-point advantage early in the second half. The Cougars put together an 18-6 run to lead by two points briefly, but Minnesota closed the game with a 21-7 run to remain undefeated at home this season.
• Minnesota finished with nine steals Tuesday night, the fourth time it's had at least nine steals in a game this season. Through five games, Minnesota is averaging 8.2 steals per game. Willis Jr. tied his career-high with six steals in tonight's game. He previously had six thefts against Buffalo on Jan. 18, 2025, while playing last season at Western Michigan. Minnesota ranks second in the Big Ten in steals per game, while Willis Jr. ranks first in the league, averaging 2.8.
• Cade Tyson leads the team in scoring and ranks second in the Big Ten with an average of 23.4 points per game. He's scored 20 or more points in four of five games thus far, and double digits in all five. He ranks 13th nationally in points per game.
• On Tuesday, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson tied his season-high with 15 points and added seven rebounds, the first time this season he was under 10 boards. His 60 total rebounds rank first overall in the B1G and fourth nationally. He's had point-rebound double-doubles in three of his first five games, with 13 points and 14 rebounds in the season-opener versus Gardner-Webb, 15 points and a career-high 16 boards versus Alcorn State, and 11 points and 11 rebounds versus Green Bay. Crocker-Johnson is one rebound shy of 400 career boards.
COACHES VS. CANCER GAME
• The Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. San Francisco Dons match-up on Saturday will shine a spotlight on the work of Coaches vs. Cancer and cancer care at Sanford Health. The fight against cancer will be highlighted throughout the game.
• The Coaches vs. Cancer (CvC) program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) since 1993. To learn more, visit coachesvscancer.org.
ABOUT THE SANFORD PENTAGON
• The game marks the eighth Division I men's or women's Division I basketball game that will be played at the Sanford Pentagon this month. Following the Gophers/Dons game is a showdown between South Dakota State and Wyoming to conclude the Pentagon's nine-game college basketball slate on Dec. 15.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Minnesota and San Francisco have met just once in the two teams' history, dating back to November of 2023. In that game, Dawson Garcia reached 1,000 career points when he led the Gophers with 19 points and six rebounds; however, San Francisco led from start to finish and pulled away down the stretch for a 76-58 win at Chase Center.
ABOUT THE DONS
• Like Minnesota, San Francisco is coming off a Tuesday night win when it defeated Northwestern State, 84-64. With the win, the Dons improve to 4-1 this season. Their sole defeat came at Memphis on Nov. 8 in a 76-70 loss. The Dons are riding a three-game win streak to the Sanford Pentagon. The Dons were predicted to finish third in the West Coast Conference, behind Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.
• San Francisco has a well-balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double digits. Ryan Beasley averages 14 points per game, while Mookie Cook follows with 13.2 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds. He's also shooting 60 percent from the field. Also averaging double digits is Tyrone Riley IV (10.6) and David Fuchs (10.2). Beasley and Riley IV were named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.
• As a team, the Dons are averaging 81.4 points per game, while allowing just 65.4. They are shooting 48.2 from the field, including a 39.7 clip beyond the arc. They also average 41 rebounds per game, have 85 assists and 42 steals.
ON THE DOCKET
• Minnesota continues road action when it plays in the AcriSure Classic, Nov. 27-28 in Palm Desert, Calif. The Gophers play Stanford on Thanksgiving at 8:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. Depending on the outcome of Thursday, Minnesota will play either Santa Clara or Saint Louis on Friday at 6 or 8:30 p.m. on truTV. Tanner Hoops and Al Nolen will provide the Gopher Radio Network broadcast. On Thursday, it will be located on Radio: KTLK (103.5FM & AM 1130), while Friday's action is KFAN 100.3 FM.
TV: Peacock/NBCSN (Chris Vosters - pbp, Matt McCall - analyst)
Tip Time: 4:32 p.m.
Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 (Tanner Hoops, Al Nolen)
SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Series: USF Leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 26, 2023 (USF W, 76-58)
Minnesota Record vs. Current WCC Schools: 17-5
Minnesota Record at Sanford Pentagon: 1-2
Medved vs. San Francisco: First Meeting
SIOUX FALLS FOOTBALL WATCH PARTY
• Heading to Sioux Falls? Start your day with fellow Minnesota fans at Blue Rock Bar and Grill, located next to the Sanford Pentagon, as we watch Gopher Football take on Northwestern at 11 a.m.! Blue Rock Bar and Grill is located at 4021 Bobhalla Dr, Sioux Falls, SD 57107.
STARTING FIVE
• The Golden Gopher men's basketball team hits the road for a neutral site game against San Francisco, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be played in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Sanford Pentagon. Saturday's game marks the fourth time the Gophers have played at the Pentagon and the first since the 2019-20 season. Minnesota is 1-2 all-time at the Pentagon, dating back to 2015. Minnesota's first trip to the Pentagon was on Dec. 12, 2015, when the Gophers fell, 62-60, to Oklahoma State. The Gophers defeated Vanderbilt 56-52 on Dec. 3, 2016, and Minnesota's last visit was on Nov. 9, 2019, in a 71-62 loss to Oklahoma.
• Minnesota is coming off a 66-54 win over Chicago State Tuesday night at Williams Arena. Minnesota led by as many as 14 points early, and the Gophers had a seven-point halftime lead that grew to an 11-point advantage early in the second half. The Cougars put together an 18-6 run to lead by two points briefly, but Minnesota closed the game with a 21-7 run to remain undefeated at home this season.
• Minnesota finished with nine steals Tuesday night, the fourth time it's had at least nine steals in a game this season. Through five games, Minnesota is averaging 8.2 steals per game. Willis Jr. tied his career-high with six steals in tonight's game. He previously had six thefts against Buffalo on Jan. 18, 2025, while playing last season at Western Michigan. Minnesota ranks second in the Big Ten in steals per game, while Willis Jr. ranks first in the league, averaging 2.8.
• Cade Tyson leads the team in scoring and ranks second in the Big Ten with an average of 23.4 points per game. He's scored 20 or more points in four of five games thus far, and double digits in all five. He ranks 13th nationally in points per game.
• On Tuesday, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson tied his season-high with 15 points and added seven rebounds, the first time this season he was under 10 boards. His 60 total rebounds rank first overall in the B1G and fourth nationally. He's had point-rebound double-doubles in three of his first five games, with 13 points and 14 rebounds in the season-opener versus Gardner-Webb, 15 points and a career-high 16 boards versus Alcorn State, and 11 points and 11 rebounds versus Green Bay. Crocker-Johnson is one rebound shy of 400 career boards.
COACHES VS. CANCER GAME
• The Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. San Francisco Dons match-up on Saturday will shine a spotlight on the work of Coaches vs. Cancer and cancer care at Sanford Health. The fight against cancer will be highlighted throughout the game.
• The Coaches vs. Cancer (CvC) program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) since 1993. To learn more, visit coachesvscancer.org.
ABOUT THE SANFORD PENTAGON
• The game marks the eighth Division I men's or women's Division I basketball game that will be played at the Sanford Pentagon this month. Following the Gophers/Dons game is a showdown between South Dakota State and Wyoming to conclude the Pentagon's nine-game college basketball slate on Dec. 15.
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Minnesota and San Francisco have met just once in the two teams' history, dating back to November of 2023. In that game, Dawson Garcia reached 1,000 career points when he led the Gophers with 19 points and six rebounds; however, San Francisco led from start to finish and pulled away down the stretch for a 76-58 win at Chase Center.
ABOUT THE DONS
• Like Minnesota, San Francisco is coming off a Tuesday night win when it defeated Northwestern State, 84-64. With the win, the Dons improve to 4-1 this season. Their sole defeat came at Memphis on Nov. 8 in a 76-70 loss. The Dons are riding a three-game win streak to the Sanford Pentagon. The Dons were predicted to finish third in the West Coast Conference, behind Gonzaga and Saint Mary's.
• San Francisco has a well-balanced scoring attack with four players averaging double digits. Ryan Beasley averages 14 points per game, while Mookie Cook follows with 13.2 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds. He's also shooting 60 percent from the field. Also averaging double digits is Tyrone Riley IV (10.6) and David Fuchs (10.2). Beasley and Riley IV were named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.
• As a team, the Dons are averaging 81.4 points per game, while allowing just 65.4. They are shooting 48.2 from the field, including a 39.7 clip beyond the arc. They also average 41 rebounds per game, have 85 assists and 42 steals.
ON THE DOCKET
• Minnesota continues road action when it plays in the AcriSure Classic, Nov. 27-28 in Palm Desert, Calif. The Gophers play Stanford on Thanksgiving at 8:30 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network. Depending on the outcome of Thursday, Minnesota will play either Santa Clara or Saint Louis on Friday at 6 or 8:30 p.m. on truTV. Tanner Hoops and Al Nolen will provide the Gopher Radio Network broadcast. On Thursday, it will be located on Radio: KTLK (103.5FM & AM 1130), while Friday's action is KFAN 100.3 FM.
Cinematic Recap: Gophers-Chicago State
Wednesday, November 19
Coach Medved on B1G Today
Wednesday, November 19
Highlights: Gophers 66, Chicago State 54
Tuesday, November 18
Cinematic Recap: Gophers-Green Bay
Tuesday, November 18