The Gophers have their second and final exhibition game of the preseason on Friday night against Creighton on the road. It’s a significant step up in competition from last week’s test against Omaha at home. Here’s everything you need to know.

How to watch

  • Date: Friday, Oct. 23
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
  • TV/streaming: YouTube (Creighton Athletics)

Omaha is currently rated as the No. 271 team on KenPom.com, and the Mavericks were voted to finish fourth in the preseason Summit League poll. The Gophers flexed their Big Ten muscles in last week’s 72-52 exhibition win at The Barn, and Creighton is now a huge step up.

Creighton preview

The Bluejays are No. 30 in the latest KenPom.com ratings, and they were voted to finish seventh in the preseason Big East poll. First-year head coach Alan Huss was a longtime assistant under Greg McDermott before leaving to become head coach at High Point for two seasons. He returned to Omaha in 2025 as the head coach in waiting. This season will be his first as the head coach of his alma mater, and he has a team with NCAA Tournament expectations.

Minnesota basketball fans will recognize Creighton forward Jackson McAndrew, who won Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball and Minnesota’s Gatorade Player of the Year after his senior season at Wayzata. He missed all of last season with a foot injury, but he has recovered and is expected to be one of the Bluejays’ best players this season.

Creighton had an 83-80 win in its first exhibition of the season against preseason No. 18 Iowa State on the road on Oct. 18. McAndrew was joined by Wes Ennis, Austin Swartz, Oswin Erhunmwunse and B.J. Davis in the starting lineup, but freshman guard Katrelle Harmon led the team with 16 points off the bench.

It’s important not to overreact to exhibition results, but Creighton’s road win over a team ranked in the top 20 of the preseason AP Poll caught some attention in the college basketball world.

We learned a lot about Minnesota’s rotation against Omaha last week, but Friday’s game will give us a good look at how quickly the pieces could fit together on this year’s team.

The Gophers will have a full week off before beginning regular-season play on Monday, Nov. 2, against North Dakota.

Source: Yahoo Sports