The UND men's basketball program announced its non-conference schedule Friday morning, which features matchups with Gonzaga, Minnesota, Florida Gulf Coast, Nebraska and Oregon State.
The non-conference schedule for first-year head coach Paul Sather features three home games, nine road games and a Thanksgiving tournament in Fort Myers, Fla.
"The way things unfolded this year, for a variety of reasons, did not necessarily provide us the most optimal situation from a non-conference standpoint, in terms of home games," UND athletic director Bill Chaves said. "But, we are excited about the various opportunities that this year's team will have as well as what it will do for our program futuristically."
UND will begin the season at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center against Crown College on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
The first of three showdowns against NCAA Tournament participants from a year ago comes on Nov. 12 in Spokane, Wash., against Gonzaga. The Hawks and Bulldogs will square off for the second time in three seasons, as the Zags clipped UND, 89-83, in overtime back in 2017.
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The Hawks head to Valparaiso on Nov. 17 to battle the Crusaders. UND closes the trip against Milwaukee on Nov. 19. The two teams met in a pair of contests last season, with UND winning both games by a combined 16 points.
A border battle with Minnesota, another NCAA Tournament participant from last year, on Nov. 24 concludes the four-game road trip, as the two programs are set to square off for the 21st time.
UND returns home for its first-ever showdown with North Central University on Nov. 26 at 8:30 p.m. from the Betty before hitting the road to Fort Myers, Fla. for the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic on Nov. 29-31, hosted by Florida Gulf Coast. The Hawks begin the Thanksgiving tournament on Nov. 29 against the host-Eagles at 6 p.m.
A familiar trip to Missoula, Mont., against Montana (Dec. 6), and Cheney, Wash., at Eastern Washington (Dec. 8) caps off another stretch away from Grand Forks, as UND will battle a pair of former conference mates.
Northland College makes a return trip to the Betty on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. to close the non-conference home portion of the slate before UND hits the road to Big Ten foe and last season’s No. 4 NIT seed Nebraska on Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. on BTN+.
UND closes the non-conference season on Dec. 29 in Corvallis, Ore., for the first-ever meeting against Oregon State.
North Dakota kicks off formal practices Friday.
