U.S. Bank Stadium was converted from turf to hardwood Tuesday morning in preparation for this weekend’s U.S. Bank Stadium Basketball Classic.
The two-day event starts Friday and will serve as a rehearsal for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Final Four in early April. An inter-conference matchup between the St. Thomas and Wisconsin-River Falls men’s basketball teams at 6 p.m. starts the weekend.
The clash between the Tommies (1-0 MIAC, 3-1 overall) and the Falcons (4-1 overall) will be the first-ever basketball game played at the stadium. The two schools are the only Division III programs participating in the event.
“It’s really a once in a lifetime experience,” coach John Tauer said. “Certainly the game is important and we have a lot of respect for River Falls, but to get to play on that stage as a preview for the Division I Final Four is something our guys will always remember.”
The Tommies boast a MIAC-best 85 point-per-game average through four games. First-year point guard Anders Nelson has been a surprise anchor for the Tommie offense, leading the team in scoring with nearly 19 points per game.
The Falcons are in a tie for second in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference and come in averaging just over 90 points per game. Junior guard Matt Keller has scored double digits in every game this season and averages just over 16 points per game.
Brady Halbmaier can be reached at halb2084@stthomas.edu.