I have no idea how a 3,500 seat venue in middle America attracts major college basketball games, but the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, SD continues to do so. Being only about 6 hours from my home, it's been on my list of non-campus venues to get to at some point when a game that would capture my interest was scheduled there. When a top 5 matchup between Gonzaga and Iowa was scheduled there in December 2020, my interest was captured. Unfortunately, even with South Dakota's fairly progressive COVID restrictions in 2020, fans were still not allowed to attend when that game took place. Thankfully, in 2022, the Pentagon again scheduled Gonzaga to participate in a non-conference game there, this time against the Baylor Bears, in a 2021 national championship game rematch. Since I was in attendance in Indianapolis at that most unusual Final Four, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to see the Zags get some revenge on Baylor for that April evening.
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| Front of the Pentagon |
Given this game was scheduled for early December in the midwestern plains, weather would certainly dictate whether or not that 6 hour drive would even be feasible. Thankfully, the weather cooperated enough for 5.5 hours of the 6 hour drive over before turning from bright sunshine to sleet and eventually snow, plus some less-than-comfortable 20 degree temperatures and 30+ mph winds once in Sioux Falls. At least they don't play basketball outside...
The Sanford Pentagon is honestly a pretty cool basketball venue. Obviously shaped like a pentagon on the outside (and much more accessible than the other slightly more famous Pentagon in this country), the main court is flanked throughout the venue by other side courts that can be used by local teams throughout the year, which is definitely unique to nearly every other venue I've been to thus far. Plus the unique features on the show court like the darkened wood floor and the old school time clocks on the wall and scoreboard were different. The 3,500 seats for this game sold out in 6 minutes so I knew I was fortunate to get seats and that it would be a packed house. I certainly didn't expect it to be like 75% Gonzaga fans, 20% neutral supporters, and like 40 Baylor fans.
Packed house ready for team introductions 
Opening tip between the Bulldogs and the Bears
The Gonzaga fans didn't have a whole lot to cheer about early as Gonzaga was as cold as the outside temperature from the field and Baylor jumped out to a sizable lead early. At least both teams were pretty poor offensively for most of the night so the Zags were able to manage to whittle away at Baylor's early lead and eventually took the lead in the second half. After a hard fought 38 minutes of play, Gonzaga managed to build a 7 point lead after a dunk by Malachi Smith. Unfortunately, that would be the last points Gonzaga would score as Baylor hit back to back 3s to get within 1 and Drew Timme got hit with a brutal loose ball foul in the closing seconds that let Baylor make 2 free throws to take the lead at 64-63, which was ultimately the final score after some poor end-of-game situations for both teams. Definitely a unique experience in a unique venue, though it certainly would have been nice to not see the Zags lose in person to Baylor for the second time in a row and for the second time this season after the drubbing I had to sit through when they played Purdue in Portland...
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| Gonzaga's Julian Strawther (#0) for the layup |
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| Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith (#13) attacking the rim |
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| Don't love the final score, but love the old-school scoreboard clock |
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