The Sanford Pentagon (colloquially known as The Pentagon) is an indoor arena located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Pentagon opened in September 2013 and has a seating capacity of 3,250 spectators. It hosts the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. The facility is known for hosting a wide range of sporting events including: regional youth basketball tournaments, NCAA Division I basketball games, NCAA Division II basketball games and tournaments, mixed martial arts events, and occasional concerts.
Major events 2013 The Pentagon's first major event was hosted on October 10, 2013. The Minnesota Timberwolves played the Milwaukee Bucks in the main court as a preseason exhibition game, and television coverage was provided by Fox Sports North. The Wolves defeated the Bucks by a score of 98–89 in front of an announced crowd of 3,250.Timberwolves vs Bucks Box Score
On November 8, 2013, the Pentagon hosted its first NCAA Division I men's basketball game between the then 20th ranked Wisconsin Badgers and the St. John's Red Storm. The game was televised on the Big Ten Network. Wisconsin won the game 86–75 in front of a sellout crowd of 3,523.Wisconsin vs St. Johns Box Score
2014 On November 18, 2014, the Pentagon hosted an early season non-conference NCAA Division I basketball game between the then 11th ranked Wichita State Shockers and the Memphis Tigers. The game was televised by ESPN as part of their Tip-Off Marathon programming. The Shockers won that game 71–56 in front of a sellout crowd.Wichita State vs Memphis Box Score
On November 30, 2014, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits took on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, winning 71–58. The announced attendance was 3,250 and coverage was provided by Fox Sports North.Florida Gulf Coast vs South Dakota State Box Score
For the third and final NCAA Division I basketball game of the 2014–15 season at the Sanford Pentagon, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels played the South Dakota Coyotes on December 13, 2014. UNLV won the game 75-61 and the game was televised by Midco Sports Network and ESPN3.UNLV vs South Dakota Box Score
2015 On March 16, 2015, it was announced that the Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team would play the Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball team on November 13, 2015, in an early season non-conference match-up.Iowa State, Colorado to play at Pentagon
2020 An early-season Division I basketball tournament—the Crossover Classic—was announced for the Pentagon in 2020. It served as a de facto replacement for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Nassau, Bahamas, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the teams that were invited to said tournament were invited to the Crossover Classic, but only two would partake in the event.
The site was also home to the Dakota Showcase, which hosted all four Division I teams from the Dakotas. This included North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and South Dakota.
2024 On June 20, 2024, it was announced that the Pentagon would host an early-season showcase on November 4, 2024 (the opening day of the 2024–25 college basketball season), known as The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase; presented by the podcast network The Field of 68, the event will feature a tripleheader of men's basketball games involving teams from mid-major conferences, including College of Charleston and Southern Illinois, McNeese State and South Dakota State, and Saint Louis and Santa Clara.
The Pentagon will also host pairs of games involving the Iowa Hawkeyes' and Nebraska Cornhuskers' men's and women's basketball teams; the Cornhuskers will play South Dakota and Saint Mary's women's and men's teams on November 16 and 17 respectively, the women's Hawkeyes will play Kansas on November 20, and the men's Hawkeyes will play Utah on December 21.
Annual/recurring On December 11, 2013, it was announced that the Sanford Pentagon would be home to multiple NCAA Division II championships. These include the 2017 and 2018 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championships, the 2015, 2016, and 2018 NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championships (except for the championship final in 2016, which will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis), and the 2016 and 2020 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship.Sioux Falls to host eight NCAA tournaments in coming years Beginning in 2018, it will also be the home to the NAIA Division II men's basketball championship.
Beginning in 2014, it is also home to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference basketball tournament.Sanford Pentagon: Anticipation nears reality for new sports arena The NSIC is an NCAA Division II conference with schools located mainly in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
List of NCAA Division I men's basketball games at Sanford Pentagon +DateWinning teamLosing teamEvent/TournamentNov. 8, 2013Wisconsin 86St. John's 75Nov. 18, 2014#11 Wichita State 71 Memphis 56Nov. 30, 2014Florida Gulf Coast 71South Dakota State 58Dec. 13, 2014UNLV 75South Dakota 61Nov. 13, 2015#7 Iowa State 68Colorado 62Dec. 12, 2015Oklahoma State 62Minnesota 60Dec. 27, 2015South Dakota State 65Middle Tennessee 61Dec. 28, 2015South Dakota 89Florida Gulf Coast 81Nov. 25, 2016East Tennessee State 86Milwaukee 62Nov. 25, 2016UC Irvine 63South Dakota State 52Nov. 26, 2016Milwaukee 54UC Irvine 37Nov 26, 2016East Tennessee State 71South Dakota State 59Nov. 27, 2016East Tennessee State 72UC Irvine 66Nov. 27, 2016South Dakota State 81Milwaukee 58Dec. 3, 2016Minnesota 56Vanderbilt 52Nov. 24, 2017Northern Colorado 80Youngstown State 67Nov. 24, 2017South Dakota 84Southern Mississippi 71Nov. 25, 2017Southern Mississippi 71Youngstown State 64Nov. 25, 2017Northern Colorado 63South Dakota 62Nov. 26, 2017Northern Colorado 77Southern Mississippi 63Nov. 26, 2017South Dakota 81Youngstown State 53Dec. 2, 2017Missouri State 73South Dakota State 53Dec. 22, 2017Iowa 80Colorado 73Dec. 16, 2018#25 Nebraska 79Oklahoma State 56Feb. 7, 2019Omaha 107*South Dakota 102*Nov. 5, 2019#20 St. Mary's 65*Wisconsin 63*Nov. 9, 2019Oklahoma 71Minnesota 62Dec. 20, 2019Northern Colorado 87South Dakota 68Nov. 25, 2020Memphis 73Saint. Mary's 56Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 25, 2020Western Kentucky 93Northern Iowa 87Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 25, 2020#15 West Virginia 79South Dakota State 71Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 25, 2020VCU 85Utah State 69Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 26, 2020Western Kentucky 93Memphis 69Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 26, 2020#15 West Virginia 78VCU 66Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 26, 2020Saint Mary's 66Northern Iowa 64Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 26, 2020South Dakota State 65Utah State 44Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 27, 2020#15 West Virginia 70Western Kentucky 64Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 27, 2020Saint Mary's 72South Dakota State 59Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 27, 2020Utah State 82Northern Iowa 71Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicNov. 27, 2020VCU 70Memphis 59Bad Boy Mowers Crossover ClassicDec. 10, 2020North Dakota 75South Dakota 71Dakota ShowcaseDec. 10, 2020South Dakota State 77North Dakota State 75Dakota ShowcaseDec. 11, 2020South Dakota State 74North Dakota 62Dakota ShowcaseDec. 11, 2020North Dakota State 74South Dakota 67Dakota ShowcaseDec. 12, 2020North Dakota State 53North Dakota 52Dakota ShowcaseDec. 12, 2020South Dakota 91South Dakota State 78Dakota ShowcaseDec. 19, 2020#1 Gonzaga 99#3 Iowa 88Mar. 6, 2021South Dakota State 84Omaha 712021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 6, 2021South Dakota 86Western Illinois 692021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 7, 2021Oral Roberts 76North Dakota 652021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 7, 2021North Dakota State 69Kansas City 652021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 8, 2021Oral Roberts 90South Dakota State 882021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 8, 2021North Dakota State 79South Dakota 752021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 9, 2021Oral Roberts 75North Dakota State 722021 Summit League Basketball ChampionshipsNov. 22, 2021South Dakota State 102Nevada 75Crossover ClassicNov. 22, 2021Washington 77George Mason 74Crossover ClassicNov. 23, 2021Nevada 88George Mason 69Crossover ClassicNov. 23, 2021Washington 87South Dakota State 76Crossover ClassicNov. 24, 2021Nevada 81Washington 62Crossover ClassicNov. 24, 2021South Dakota State 80George Mason 76Crossover ClassicDec. 11, 2021Creighton 83#24 BYU 71Dec. 18, 2021Iowa 94Utah State 75Nov. 15, 2022South Dakota State 66St. Bonaventure 62Dec. 2, 2022#6 Baylor 64#14 Gonzaga 63Peacock ClassicNov. 7, 2023#20 Baylor 88Auburn 82Nov. 10, 2023South Dakota 100UT-Rio Grande Valley 79Nov. 18, 2023Nebraska 84Oregon State 63Dec. 1, 2023South Dakota State 61Towson 48Dec. 17, 2023Syracuse 83Oregon 63Nov. 4, 2024College of Charleston 90Southern Illinois 80Field of 68 ShowcaseNov. 4, 2024Santa Clara 85Saint Louis 78Field of 68 ShowcaseNov. 4, 2024South Dakota State 80McNeese State 73Field of 68 ShowcaseNov. 17, 2024St. Mary's 77Nebraska 74Dec. 21, 2024Iowa 95Utah 88 Nov. 3, 2025Murray State 85Omaha 77Field of 68 ShowcaseNov. 3, 2025Drake 77Northern Arizona 71Field of 68 ShowcaseNov. 3, 2025South Dakota State 75Merrimack 66Field of 68 ShowcaseNov. 10, 2025Iowa State 96Mississippi State 80Nov. 15, 2025Nebraska 105Oklahoma 99Nov. 22, 2025San Francisco 77Minnesota 65Dec. 15, 2025Wyoming 87South Dakota State 72 Source:
List of NCAA Division I women's basketball games at Sanford Pentagon +DateWinning teamLosing teamEvent/TournamentNov. 21, 2013Drake 89*South Dakota 81*Nov. 11, 2016South Dakota 75SIU-Edwardsville 65Nov. 21, 2018South Dakota 73Wichita State 64Nov. 15, 2019South Dakota State 77Dakota Wesleyan 46 Nov. 28, 2020#1 South Carolina 81South Dakota 71Bad Boy Mower's Crossover ClassicNov. 29, 2020#1 South Carolina 79#21 Gonzaga 72Bad Boy Mower's Crossover ClassicNov. 30, 2020#21 Gonzaga 54South Dakota 50Bad Boy Mower's Crossover ClassicMar. 6, 2021Omaha 52#21 South Dakota State 40 2021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 6, 2021South Dakota 89Oral Roberts 662021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 7, 2021Western Illinois 60Kansas City 592021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 7, 2021North Dakota State 79Denver 672021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 8, 2021Omaha 69Western Illinois 552021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 8, 2021 South Dakota 81North Dakota State 552021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsMar. 9, 2021South Dakota 66Omaha 432021 Summit League Women's Basketball ChampionshipsNov. 12, 2021#1 South Carolina 72South Dakota 412021 Mammoth Sports Construction InvitationalNov. 12, 2021#22 Arizona 61*#6 Louisville 59*2021 Mammoth Sports Construction InvitationalDec. 15, 2022#1 South Carolina 62South Dakota State 44Nov. 6, 2023#22 Creighton 75North Dakota State 52Nov. 25, 2023South Dakota 72South Carolina State 52Nov. 16, 2024Nebraska 113 South Dakota 70Nov. 20, 2024Iowa 71Kansas 58Nov. 16, 2025Nebraska 82North Dakota State 70Nov. 20, 2025South Dakota State 72Gonzaga 63 Source:
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