Gophers-Tommies play for the first time in 92 years Friday - but it is unlikely to be a regular rivalry

That doesn't mean this game will become a regular occurrence. Extra ticket sales don't factor into NCAA Tournament selection criteria.

“If you take the name off the jersey or that they were local, there’s no upside to us playing them,” Minnesota coach Niko Medved said.

The Gophers were expecting around 10,000 fans, Medved said, for the game on Friday night. They only topped that mark last season twice, against rival Wisconsin and Nebraska, another nearby Big Ten foe.

The 14,000-seat arena — now officially called The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota — will be livelier than it's been for any nonconference game in years. St. Thomas, in its sixth year as a Division I program after making an unprecedented jump directly from Division III, will undoubtedly bring its best for the biggest crowd it'll likely play in front of all season.

St. Thomas coach Johnny Tauer knows this is going to be a challenge for his team, but he's also hopeful it's a rivalry that can grow.

"Scheduling is really hard, but I do hope this game becomes a regular thing because I think it's going to draw a lot of interest," Tauer said this week on the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar. "Look, they're in the Big 10, we're in the Summit League. We know we're going to be a decided underdog. We're in our sixth year of Division 1, but I also think it's one of those nights where people can come together, and honestly, win or lose, I'll say this after the game, this was an unbelievable experience for everybody and I hope we can do it again."

But despite the fact the Tommies won 48 games over the last two years, their place in the Summit League simply means they won't boost Minnesota's strength of schedule. The NCAA's quadrant system — ranking all 365 team and sorting them into four groups to categorize the quality of each win and loss — that provides the framework for at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament will likely label this as a ho-hum third-tier game for the Gophers once the committee convenes in March. St. Thomas ranked 113th last season, and Minnesota was 82nd.

"So, you're never saying you won't play him again, but there's no way you can commit to doing something like that every year," adds Medved, who said he has to do what is best for Minnesota.

Other public-private nonconference rivalries between intrastate schools like Cincinnati-Xavier, Wisconsin-Marquette or Nebraska-Creighton almost always present both teams a “Quad 1” game.

“Taking emotion out of it, it doesn’t always make a lot of sense. I’m doing it right now because I think it’s great for basketball in the Twin Cities,” Medved said.

For teams like St. Thomas somewhere between the low and mid majors, the reluctance of power conference teams to play them underscores the perpetual uphill challenge to the get the big-stage games.

“There’s no doubt one team typically has more risk than another,” Tauer said. ”Even though they may be the Goliath versus the David, the way it’s set up, there are incentives to play teams that you’re likely to beat by a significant amount.”

Even with an expanded field, reaching the NCAA Tournament has never been harder for about four-fifths of the programs.

“A lot of mid-majors would love it if there was a path to an at-large bid for really, really great seasons,” Tauer said. “It takes two to tango. We all sit in our seat of what is the best thing for our program.”

Tauer and Medved both homegrown coaches

Both coaches are from Minnesota, and both are now coaching in their home state, and both coaching for their alma mater.

But their paths are also very different. Medved is now starting his second season in Dinkytown, while Tauer is starting his 16th for the Tommies.

"We go way back. He went to Roseville High School, I went to Cretin," Tauer says. "We were one year apart, and so I've known Niko for 30 years. You know, he's moved around a lot, whether it be Furman or Colorado State or Drake, but he has done a phenomenal job. I think it's probably the most talented Gopher team they've had in a decade. His offense is, I mean, it's exquisite the way they run it. They've got great size, shooting, veteran guards, some guys back at the Gophers, some guys who played with him at Colorado State."

Medved came to Minnesota after seven years at Colorado State, and it's actually his second stint with the Gophers. He was an assistant coach during the 2006-07 season.

Both coaches have been complimentary of the other as well. Tauer says his team has their hands full with a Gopher team that has NCAA Tournament goals this year.

"I think he's doing a really, really good job, and it's the Gophers," Tauer explains. "I think it's cool for them to have somebody who went to the University of Minnesota and so clearly wants to be there. So yeah, I think they're poised for a great season. I don't feel great about (tonight's) night because they've got some athletes that we won't see, frankly, at any other time this year. And it'll be an awesome experience for our guys to learn and grow from that."

St. Thomas Tommies (1-0) at Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-0)

Minneapolis; Friday, 7 p.m.

BOTTOM LINE: St. Thomas visits Minnesota after Tim Franks scored 24 points in St. Thomas' 87-78 victory against the Presbyterian Blue Hose.

Minnesota finished 15-18 overall with a 13-4 record at home during the 2025-26 season. The Golden Gophers gave up 68.5 points per game while committing 14.6 fouls last season.

St. Thomas finished 24-10 overall with an 8-7 record on the road a season ago. The Tommies averaged 81.8 points per game while shooting 50.6% from the field and 36.1% from 3-point distance last season.