Utah basketball adds Minnesota to the 2018-19 schedule with home-and-home

The Utes continue to add to their upcoming basketball schedule with the addition of Big 10 foe Minnesota, Utah’s second confirmed non-conference Power 5 opponent (3rd overall) for the upcoming season. Utah will play in some preseason tournaments as well. Utah will travel to Minnesota this season, and have the Gophers return the trip in 2019-20.

Minnesota is coming off of a tough season, where they were sub .500 at 15-17 overall. Things were rough for the Gophers really the last two thirds of the season when they went 2-14. They were a game out of last place, ahead of Rutgers, in the Big 10, who beat them to end the season. Minnesota has had a good program in the past, but it looks like they have some rebuilding to do going into next season. Utah will be reloading this coming season too with a ton of new faces expected to contribute for Coach K’s squad.

Here’s the official release from the program that breaks down the addition a little more, but overall, I like the news. It’s not a great team Utah will be playing, but it will be on the road and should be a good test for the Utes before they hit Pac-12 play. Sure, it’s not Kentucky, who they also play in December, as well as Sweet 16 team Nevada. Solid schedule coming into focus.

What do you think of the matchup?

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah men’s basketball team has agreed to a home-and-home series against Minnesota beginning this upcoming 2018-19 season. Utah will play Minnesota in Minneapolis this upcoming season, while the Gophers will play the Runnin’ Utes in Salt Lake City in 2019-20.

Utah and Minnesota will meet for just the fourth time with the Utes leading the all-time series 2-1. The two teams have not faced each other since 2003, a contest the Utes won 66-54 in Salt Lake City. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in Minneapolis.

Utah will face a Big 10 opponent in the regular season for the first time since the 2010 campaign when the Utes played at Michigan on Dec. 10, 2010. It will mark just the second time the Utes have gone head-to-head with a Big 10 foe since that date. Utah met up with Penn State in the NIT Championship game just last season.

Minnesota is coming off a 2017-18 campaign where they went 15-17 overall, but were 11-6 playing at home inside Williams Arena.

Utah’s contest with Minnesota marks the third confirmed non-conference game for the 2018-19 season, to go along with three more games the Utes will play in the Wooden Legacy Tournament. Utah is also scheduled to play at Kentucky on Dec. 15 and will host Nevada on Dec. 29.

The Wooden Legacy will be played Nov. 22-25, 2018 in Fullerton, Calif. Alongside Utah, other scheduled teams in the field include Fresno State, Grand Canyon, Hawaii, La Salle, Miami, Northwestern and Seton Hall.