Gophers women's basketball to compete in pair of fall tournaments

Four games are officially on the schedule for Minnesota now.
Minnesota coach Dawn Plitzuweit looks on during the second half against Ohio State at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Feb. 8, 2024.
Minnesota coach Dawn Plitzuweit looks on during the second half against Ohio State at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on Feb. 8, 2024. / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Gophers women’s basketball team announced it will compete in a pair of tournaments this fall: the Briann January Classic in Tempe, Ariz., and the Big Easy Classic in New Orleans. The two tournaments are the first announced games for the U for the upcoming season.

The Gophers will face SMU and Oregon State during the Briann January Classic, which takes place from Nov. 16-17 at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz. 

Both teams will be in their first seasons in new conferences; SMU is joining the Atlantic Coast Conference after previously being in the AAC and Oregon State is joining the West Coast Conference following the collapse of the Pac 12. Tickets for the tournament can be found here.

Later that month, the U will head down to New Orleans for the Big Easy Classic, where it will play Houston and Louisiana on Nov. 29-30, respectively. It will be the first time the Gophers have ever competed in a tournament in the state of Louisiana. Ticket information for the tournament will be available at the end of August. 

Dawn Plitzuweit and the Minnesota women are coming off a season in which they went 20-16 but only 5-13 in Big Ten play. They finished as the runner-up in the WNIT.


Published
Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.