5 must-watch games on St. Thomas’ 2026-27 men’s basketball schedule

St. Thomas released its entire 2026-27 men’s basketball schedule on Wednesday, and there are plenty of intriguing matchups for its sixth season as a Division I program. Here are five must-watch games for mid-major basketball fans in Minnesota.

1. AT Minnesota: Nov. 6

The wait is finally over; the first matchup between the Tommies and Gophers as Division I programs is happening this season. St. Thomas was ravaged by the transfer portal in the offseason, with four of its top five scorers heading elsewhere, so playing a Big Ten program in the second game of the season is a tough draw. Minnesota should be heavy betting favorites, but there should still be plenty of buzz.

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As long as David Richman is the head coach of North Dakota State, the Bison will probably be St. Thomas’ biggest competition in the Summit League. Both teams’ conference openers will be on Jan. 7 at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena. Students won’t be back from winter break, which is a tough draw for the Tommies, but it should be a fun matchup between two of the conference’s best programs.

3. VS. UC San Diego: Dec. 15

Jonny Tauer and his staff did a great job scheduling multiple competitive mid-major programs such as Presbyterian, Liberty, Princeton, Arkansas State and UNC Asheville. But getting UC San Diego to travel to St. Paul on Dec. 15 is a home run. The Tritons were a 12 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and they proceeded to have 23 wins last season under first-year head coach Clint Allard. Suppose you’re a fan of mid-major hoops: UC San Diego-St. Thomas is an elite option.

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4. Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic

Continuing the theme of mid-major hoops, St. Thomas’ holiday tournament in Wilmington, North Carolina, is a fun one. They will face Liberty, Princeton and UNC Wilmington over a four-day span across Thanksgiving Week. All four programs have a great chance of winning their mid-major leagues this season, which should make for a fun stretch of games.

Assuming that most people won’t make the…

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Publish date : 2026-09-10 15:46:00

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