Gophers basketball teams move up tipoff times for Thursday games

The Gophers men's and women's basketball games will both see early starts on Thursday, as the university responds to the winterstorm.

Both home games are being moved up, with the men's game versus Chicago State tipping off at noon and the women's matchup with Illinois sliding to 3 p.m.

Originally, the men were scheduled to have a 6 p.m. start and the women's game was a 3:30 p.m. tipoff.

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Dawson Garcia #3 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrates his three-point basket against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first half of the game at Williams Arena on December 11, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Bulldogs defeated the Golden (Getty Images)

University officials add: "All tickets for the originally scheduled game times will be valid for the new start times. Doors will open at 11 a.m. Fans who attend the men's game are welcome to stay in Williams Arena to enjoy the women's game. Fans who have women's basketball tickets are welcome to arrive early to enjoy the men's game. Season ticket seating still applies for both games. Fans in attendance for non-season ticket seats will relocate to general admission seating."

Minnesota, along with the Midwest, is facing an active weather week, with brutal cold, snow, and strong winds expected. Thursday will be some of the toughest travel days for holiday drivers.