After leaving Fargo, I drove just over three hours to Sioux Falls, arriving at the Sanford Pentagon about 30 minutes before tip for the final game of a six-team MTE. Parking here is free in a spacious lot across the street from the building.
Opened in 2013, the Pentagon is home to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the G League and also hosts a wide variety of college basketball games and other events throughout the season. The naming rights are owned by Sanford Health, which is headquartered in Sioux Falls. Before entering, have a look at the historic information just outside the main entrance; there are eight panels that describe several aspects of the game of basketball, such as its invention, adaptation to college, and integration.
The Pentagon is so named because it has five sides, though it is tough to discern this from the main entrance.
In fact, the best way to appreciate the layout is the map on the inside. You can see how the main court is laid out and then surrounding it are six other full-size courts that were being used by kids. At the front is the lobby (above) where you can find the box office.
Just inside the main entrance are some display cases, including one that highlights the event that took place on this day, known as the Opening Day Field of 68. That's a bit misleading as there were only six teams here, with Charleston beating Southern Illinois and Santa Clara beating St. Louis earlier in the day.
The Skyforce have a display dedicated to them that includes the championship trophy they won in 2016, as well as those from their time in the Continental Basketball Association.
The court itself is very compact and sits only 3,250, with four sections of 19 rows on both sidelines. There are a few rows of wooden benches along the baselines too, though one side was folded up.
Tickets were $20 for general admission along the sides and $10 for GA benches; obviously I purchased the latter and there were no ushers, so I sat near the top along the sidelines after taking the below photo. The logo at center court is that of Sanford Health.
There are electronic video boards at opposite corners, but what I liked was the old-school scoreboard above center court, where the seconds ticked down in a counter-clockwise direction.
There are also 30-second shot clocks that in two corners. The design is something that I have not seen before.
Above the sideline seats are suites and you can walk up the stairs to the concourse here without a problem. It is worth your time as there are several old photographs along the walls.
Of particular interest is the collection of high school state champions over the years; it is always interesting to look back at these kids and see how styles changed through the years.
As you make your way back down the exterior stairways, there are photos from the other college basketball showcases. The game that I saw was the 72nd to be held here, or about seven per year.
The concession stand had a couple of unique items, including a honey BBQ chicken sandwich for $6 that was a welcome change from all the hot dogs I usually eat.
Overall, I was really impressed by the Sanford Pentagon, which delivers a great neutral-site experience while allowing locals to use the additional courts. This was only my sixth neutral-site venue in college hoops but by far the best of the bunch. There aren't that many college games held here, so the Skyforce is a better bet if you want to see the venue.
The Game
The McNeese State Cowboys, considered one of the top mid-major programs this year, were taking on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, who usually play out of nearby Brookings. As such, this was essentially a home game for them with most of the fans sporting Jackrabbit merch, though technically recorded as a neutral-site one. Tip was scheduled for 5 p.m., with the third game of my tripleheader an hour away in Vermillion set for 8, meaning I wanted to leave by 7.
The first half was relatively quick with only 13 fouls called. SDSU used some good long-range shooting to take a 24-14 lead, only for the Cowboys (based out of Lake Charles, LA) to fight back within 6 and then use two late treys themselves to tie the game at 33 at the break.
The Cowboys started the second half with two more treys, but the Jackrabbits rallied to tie the game at 41. Down 48-46, SDSU went on a 13-1 run over five minutes that energized the crowd and although McNeese managed to get back within 3 on a few occasions, each time the Jacks responded. Unfortunately, the second half saw 21 fouls and there were 30 free throws combined, which slowed things down considerably and had me worrying about getting to the next game on time. I wanted to avoid getting stuck in traffic as the parking lot looked to be messy postgame, so with SDSU up 73-68 and fouls still being called, I headed out. The Jackrabbits went on to win 80-73 in another game in which zealous zebras had far too much impact.
The most unusual stat here was McNeese State having just a single second-chance point, a reflection of their poor performance on the offensive glass, where they grabbed only 8 of 39 opportunities.
NotesI needn't have worried after all as the South Dakota game was delayed by the previous women's game going to overtime. Of course, I could not have known that when I left but it was quite annoying.
Best,
Sean
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