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The Minnesota Golden Gophers will get to spend a lot of time in the Big Apple this season. We already knew they would be there in January for a game against Ohio State (in the Big Ten basketball/hockey double header at Madison Square Garden which began this past winter) and for the Big Ten Tournament in March (also being held at MSG). But now we also know that the Gophers will head to NYC in the early season to be part of the Barclays Center Classic.
The news was first reported by Jon Rothstein:
Minnesota, Alabama, BYU and UMass will highlight the 2017 Barclays Center Classic, multiple sources told FanRag Sports.
Official matchups and tipoff times are yet to be determined, but the event will take place during the Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend.
Both the Golden Gophers and Crimson Tide are expected to be Top 25 caliber teams entering next season.
And earlier this evening it was confirmed by Marcus Fuller on Twitter:
I can confirm the @JonRothstein report on @GopherMBB playing in the Barclays Center Classic in NY over Thanksgiving weekend next season.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) May 2, 2017
If you’re worried about NYC fatigue, the good news is that the Barclays Classic is coincidentally played at the Barclays Center (home to the Brooklyn Nets and New York Islanders) not at Madison Square Garden. So you’ll have a chance to watch Minnesota play in both of NYC’s NBA/NHL venues if you so choose.
My quick reaction is that this is a pretty good deal for Minnesota given the potential matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s not a tropical destination for fans, but in all honesty Minnesota fans should be planning to watch the Gophers take on Wisconsin in TCF Bank Stadium the Saturday after Thanksgiving anyway.