SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Sanford Pentagon is bringing four NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams to Heritage Court for an early season event in November. The University of South Dakota, Youngstown State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Northern Colorado are scheduled to be a part of the Sanford Pentagon Showcase Nov. 24-26.
The three-day event uses a round-robin format with two games each day.
Tickets go on sale Sept. 21.
“This event allows basketball fans to see teams from conferences all over the country competing against each other in a first-class atmosphere and facility,” said Jesse Smith, executive director of the Sanford Pentagon. “Since this time last year, the number of NCAA Division I games at the Pentagon has nearly doubled. Teams want to play here, and we make sure players, coaches and fans have a memorable experience.”
The Pentagon has hosted 15 Division I men’s basketball games since opening in 2013. Programs like Wisconsin, Colorado, UNLV, Iowa State and Minnesota have played in the venue in front of national TV audiences on ESPN and the Big Ten Network. The Pentagon also hosted the 2017 NCAA Division II men’s basketball national championship game that was broadcast live on CBS.
South Dakota (22-12 in 2016-17) won the Summit League regular-season title last season for the first time in program history. Summit League Coach of the Year Craig Smith enters his fourth year at USD. First-team all-Summit League performer Matt Mooney returns for his junior season. The 6-3 guard, who was the third-leading scorer in conference play, was also named Summit League Transfer of the Year last season. USD is 1-1 all-time at the Pentagon.
A member of the Horizon League, Youngstown State (13-21 in 2016-17) advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament last season. New head coach Jerrod Calhoun is accustomed to the atmosphere of Heritage Court. In March, Calhoun led Fairmont State to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II men’s basketball Elite Eight played at the Sanford Pentagon.
Southern Miss (9-22 in 2016-17) competes in Conference USA. Head coach Doc Sadler is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Golden Eagles. Sadler is a familiar name to college basketball fans in the Midwest. He led the Nebraska men's basketball team for six seasons, posting a record of 101-89 with three NIT appearances.
Playing in the Big Sky Conference, Northern Colorado (11-18 in 2016-17) finished ninth in the conference regular-season standings last season. The Bears played a challenging non-conference schedule, facing off against Arizona, Oklahoma and Butler. Jeff Linder enters his second season as head coach.
Southern Miss, Northern Colorado and Youngstown State also have scheduled opening round games of the Sanford Pentagon Showcase at their respective home courts. Southern Miss will play Blue Mountain (Mississippi) on Nov. 20 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Northern Colorado will play Northern New Mexico College on Nov. 21 in Greeley, Colorado. Youngstown State will play Westminster (Pennsylvania) on Nov. 21. NCAA rules allow programs to count multi-team events as only two games toward their regular season total of 29, even if MTEs include as many as four games and all games are played within a 14-day window. South Dakota also has the option of adding a fourth game.
Sanford Pentagon Showcase Schedule
Monday, Nov. 20 - Campus Game
University of South Dakota vs. Mt. Marty College
Southern Miss vs. Blue Mountain (Mississippi)
Tuesday, Nov. 21 - Campus Game
Northern Colorado vs. Northern New Mexico College
Youngstown State vs. Westminster (Pennsylvania)
Friday, Nov. 24 - Sanford Pentagon
5:30 p.m. - South Dakota vs. Southern Miss
8 p.m. - Northern Colorado vs. Youngstown State
Saturday, Nov. 25 - Sanford Pentagon
4 p.m. - Youngstown State vs. Southern Miss
6:30 p.m. - South Dakota vs. Northern Colorado
Sunday, Nov. 26 - Sanford Pentagon
10:30 a.m. - Northern Colorado vs. Southern Miss
2 p.m. - South Dakota vs. Youngstown State
What the head coaches are saying about the Sanford Pentagon…
Craig Smith, South Dakota: "We are thrilled to to be a part of this first-class event. The Pentagon is a state-of-the-art venue with tremendous nostalgia. The people of Sioux Falls are fantastic fans and the hospitality from the Pentagon is top notch in every way, shape and form."
Jeff Linder, Northern Colorado: “We are excited and thankful for the opportunity to play in the Sanford Pentagon Showcase. Their staff has done an unbelievable job at providing a high-caliber experience for student-athletes and coaches. We look forward to the competition in an excellent venue and playing in front of the Sioux Falls community."
Jerrod Calhoun, Youngstown State: “The Pentagon is one of the best basketball venues in the country. My experience of playing at the Pentagon just a few months back played a big role in the decision to bring the Penguins to Sioux Falls, S.D. People love basketball out there and we are excited to be a part of this great tournament.”
Doc Sadler, Southern Miss: “There are a lot of exempt tournaments, but I am excited to be playing where the fans love basketball.”
Date | Game |
---|---|
Nov. 8, 2013 | Wisconsin 86, St. John's 75 |
Nov. 18, 2014 | No. 11 Wichita State 71, Memphis 56 |
Nov. 30, 2014 | Florida Gulf Coast 71, South Dakota State 58 |
Dec. 13, 2014 | UNLV 75, South Dakota 61 |
Nov. 13, 2015 | No. 7 Iowa State 68, Colorado 62 |
Dec. 12, 2015 | Oklahoma State 62, Minnesota 60 |
Dec. 27, 2015 | South Dakota State 65, Middle Tennessee 61 |
Dec. 28, 2015 | South Dakota 89, Florida Gulf Coast 81 |
Nov. 25, 2016 | East Tennessee State 86, Milwaukee 62 |
Nov. 25, 2016 | UC Irvine 63, South Dakota State 52 |
Nov. 26, 2016 | Milwaukee 54, UC Irvine 37 |
Nov. 26, 2016 | East Tennessee State 71, South Dakota State 59 |
Nov. 27, 2016 | East Tennessee State 72, UC Irvine 66 |
Nov. 27, 2016 | South Dakota State 81, Milwaukee 58 |
Dec. 3, 2016 | Minnesota 56, Vanderbilt 52 |
Nov. 24, 2017 | Northern Colorado 80, Youngstown State 67 |
Nov. 24, 2017 | South Dakota 84, Southern Miss, 71 |
Nov. 25, 2017 | Northern Colorado 63, South Dakota 62 |
Nov. 25, 2017 | Southern Miss 71, Youngstown State 64 |
Nov. 26, 2017 | Northern Colorado 77, Southern Miss, 63 |
Nov. 26, 2017 | South Dakota 81, Youngstown State 53 |
Dec. 2, 2017 | Missouri State 73, South Dakota State 53 |
Dec. 22, 2017 | Iowa 80, Colorado 73 |
Dec. 16, 2018 | No. 25 Nebraska 79, Oklahoma State 56 |
Feb. 7, 2019 | Omaha 107, South Dakota 102 (OT) |
Nov. 5, 2019 | No. 20 Saint Mary's 65, Wisconsin 63 (OT) |
Nov. 9, 2019 | Oklahoma 71, Minnesota 62 |
Dec. 20, 2019 | Northern Colorado 87, South Dakota 68 |
Nov. 25, 2020 | Memphis 73, Saint Mary's 56 |
Nov. 25, 2020 | Western Kentucky 93, Northern Iowa 87 |
Nov. 25, 2020 | No. 15 West Virginia 79, South Dakota State 71 |
Nov. 25, 2020 | VCU 85, Utah State 69 |
Nov. 26, 2020 | Western Kentucky 93, Memphis 69 |
Nov. 26, 2020 | No. 15 West Virginia 78, VCU 66 |
Nov. 26, 2020 | Saint Mary's 66, Northern Iowa 64 |
Nov. 26, 2020 | South Dakota State 65, Utah State 44 |
Nov. 27, 2020 | No. 15 West Virginia 70, Western Kentucky 64 |
Nov. 27, 2020 | Saint Mary's 72, South Dakota State 59 |
Nov. 27, 2020 | Utah State 82, Northern Iowa 71 |
Nov. 27, 2020 | VCU 70, Memphis 59 |
Dec. 10. 2020 | North Dakota 75, South Dakota 71 |
Dec. 10, 2020 | South Dakota State 77, North Dakota State 75 |
Dec. 11, 2020 | South Dakota State 74, North Dakota 62 |
Dec. 11, 2020 | North Dakota State 74, South Dakota 67 |
Dec. 12, 2020 | North Dakota State 53, North Dakota 52 |
Dec. 12, 2020 | South Dakota 91, South Dakota State 78 |
Dec. 19, 2020 | No. 1 Gonzaga 99, No. 3 Iowa 88 |
March 6, 2021 | South Dakota State 84, Omaha 71 |
March 6, 2021 | South Dakota 86, Western Illinois 69 |
March 7, 2021 | Oral Roberts 76, North Dakota 65 |
March 7, 2021 | North Dakota State 69, Kansas City 65 |
March 8, 2021 | Oral Roberts 90, South Dakota State 88 |
March 8, 2021 | North Dakota State 79, South Dakota 75 |
March 9, 2021 | Oral Roberts 75, North Dakota State 72 |
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