Gophers Basketball To Host St. John's In Gavitt Games

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The University of Minnesota men's basketball team will host St. John's (New York) in November as part of the Gavitt Games, the school announced Tuesday.

The Gavitt Games is an early-season tournament that puts teams from the Big Ten against teams from the Big East, much like the Gophers already do with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Gophers will face St. John's on Friday, Nov. 18, at Williams Arena. The game time is to be determined.

The Gophers faced the Red Storm last year in the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden. St. John's won that game, 70-61.

It's Minnesota's first appearance in the Gavitt Games after the series debuted last year.

The Gophers had a dismal 2015-16 season in which they won just eight games. It was a year marred by at least one player dismissal and the suspensions of Kevin Dorsey, Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason after sexually explicit videos appeared on Dorsey's Twitter account.

St. John's also struggled last year to an 8-24 record, including a 1-17 mark in the Big East. The Red Storm beat Rutgers, 61-59, in last year's Gavitt Games.