MBB | Gaels To Open Season Versus Wisconsin in Sioux Falls
6/11/2019 10:11:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Saint Mary's will play the Wisconsin Badgers in their 2019-20 season opener at the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota.
MORAGA, Calif. — The Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota officially announced today that Saint Mary's will take on Wisconsin on Nov. 5 in their facility in a neutral site matchup.
Tickets for the event will go on sale July 11. The start time for the contest is still to be determined.
The Gaels and Badgers have met only twice in the past with both games coming in Madison, Wis. Each team has won once and their last meeting was in 1976.
"We're looking forward to opening the season in a great venue like the Sanford Pentagon and for a chance to play a quality opponent in Wisconsin," said Gaels' head coach Randy Bennett.
Saint Mary's has never made the trek to the Pentagon before while this will be Wisconsin's second go-around since the building opened in 2013. The Pentagon has hosted 25 DI games over the past six years as well as NBA G-League games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and various high school and local college tournaments.
The matchup will mark the first time in 15 years that the Gaels have started regular season play outside of McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary's took on, and defeated, Belmont at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley in their 2004-05 season opener.
A member of the Big Ten, Wisconsin is coming off a 23-11 season, finishing fourth in the conference with a 14-6 record. The Badgers fell to Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
SEASON OPENING SUCCESS
The Gaels have not lost a season opener since the 2001-02 campaign in Bennett's first year at the helm. Since then, Saint Mary's has taken down Nevada, New Mexico State, Belmont, and St. Francis (PA) among others to kick off their seasons.
AS THE CROW FLIES
Sioux Falls is roughly 1,383 miles from Saint Mary's campus. That distance is over 1,000 miles further than the Badgers will have to travel as Madison is only 368 miles from the Pentagon.
The Gaels longest trip during the last regular season was to Western Kentucky which totaled a direct distance of over 1,900 miles.
ABOUT THE SANFORD PENTAGON
The cornerstone of the Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the Sanford
Pentagon, a 160,000-square-foot, five-sided facility featuring nine basketball courts, including the 1950s/1960s-inspired Heritage Court. The venue combines state-of-the-art amenities—including high-definition video boards and executive suites—with period-specific finishes that are a nod to the nostalgic days of basketball.
The 3,200-seat Pentagon is home to Sanford POWER Basketball Academy, Sanford POWER Volleyball Academy, the NBA G-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women's and Men's Basketball tournaments and the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information, visit sanfordpentagon.com.
#GaelsRise – It's time to renew your season tickets for the 2019-20 basketball season. Call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689, email smctickets@stmarys-ca.edu or click the ticket link above to renew your seats now…Saint Mary's Basketball…#GaelsRise
Tickets for the event will go on sale July 11. The start time for the contest is still to be determined.
The Gaels and Badgers have met only twice in the past with both games coming in Madison, Wis. Each team has won once and their last meeting was in 1976.
"We're looking forward to opening the season in a great venue like the Sanford Pentagon and for a chance to play a quality opponent in Wisconsin," said Gaels' head coach Randy Bennett.
Saint Mary's has never made the trek to the Pentagon before while this will be Wisconsin's second go-around since the building opened in 2013. The Pentagon has hosted 25 DI games over the past six years as well as NBA G-League games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce and various high school and local college tournaments.
The matchup will mark the first time in 15 years that the Gaels have started regular season play outside of McKeon Pavilion. Saint Mary's took on, and defeated, Belmont at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley in their 2004-05 season opener.
A member of the Big Ten, Wisconsin is coming off a 23-11 season, finishing fourth in the conference with a 14-6 record. The Badgers fell to Oregon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
SEASON OPENING SUCCESS
The Gaels have not lost a season opener since the 2001-02 campaign in Bennett's first year at the helm. Since then, Saint Mary's has taken down Nevada, New Mexico State, Belmont, and St. Francis (PA) among others to kick off their seasons.
AS THE CROW FLIES
Sioux Falls is roughly 1,383 miles from Saint Mary's campus. That distance is over 1,000 miles further than the Badgers will have to travel as Madison is only 368 miles from the Pentagon.
The Gaels longest trip during the last regular season was to Western Kentucky which totaled a direct distance of over 1,900 miles.
ABOUT THE SANFORD PENTAGON
The cornerstone of the Sanford Sports Complex in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is the Sanford
Pentagon, a 160,000-square-foot, five-sided facility featuring nine basketball courts, including the 1950s/1960s-inspired Heritage Court. The venue combines state-of-the-art amenities—including high-definition video boards and executive suites—with period-specific finishes that are a nod to the nostalgic days of basketball.
The 3,200-seat Pentagon is home to Sanford POWER Basketball Academy, Sanford POWER Volleyball Academy, the NBA G-League's Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Women's and Men's Basketball tournaments and the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame. For more information, visit sanfordpentagon.com.
#GaelsRise – It's time to renew your season tickets for the 2019-20 basketball season. Call the SMC Ticket Office today at 925-631-4689, email smctickets@stmarys-ca.edu or click the ticket link above to renew your seats now…Saint Mary's Basketball…#GaelsRise
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