UNI, Drake part of US Bank Stadium men’s basketball event

Northern Iowa and Drake will be part of the first basketball event at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis this winter.

The UNI men will take on South Dakota State on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the home of the Minnesota Vikings, while Drake will face North Dakota State that same day. The event tips off Friday, Nov. 30 with a Division III battle between St. Thomas and Wisconsin-River Falls before Minnesota and Oklahoma State square off.

'We are excited to be a part of the U.S. Bank Stadium Basketball Classic,” UNI head coach Ben Jacobson said in a release. 'It's a tremendous opportunity for our program to play in a unique atmosphere such as the U.S. Bank Stadium. We will also be competing against a terrific opponent which will add to what should be a great weekend.”

Single-day tickets are $15 and go on sale Friday, Aug. 10 at ticketmaster.com.

The event is a warm-up of sorts for U.S. Bank Stadium, which is set to host next year's Final Four.