Mizzou Basketball to Play Nebraska in Kansas City in 2026-27 season

Missouri basketball will be renewing an old rivalry in the 2026-27 season, as the Tigers will square off with Nebraska for the first time in 16 years. The teams will meet Dec. 12 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Nebraska and Missouri haven't squared off since both schools left the Big 12 at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season — Nebraska to the Big 10 and Missouri to the SEC. In the last matchup between the schools, Nebraksa defeated Missouri 69-58 off the backs of 16 points from Lance Jeter. Marcus Denmon poured in 19 points in the Tigers' defeat. Missouri holds the all-time advantage over its rival, boasting a 126-93 record in the matchup history. The programs are 5-5 in the last 10 matchups.

While the Tigers lost in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament, the Huskers earned their first March Madness win since the 2014 tournament, beating Troy and Vanderbilt to advance to the Sweet 16. Nebraska has finished with a combined 72-32 record the past three seasons, earning NCAA Tournament berths in two and totaling 20 or more wins in all three. Rising senior Pryce Sandfort, who averaged 18.1 points per game last season, will be returning to lead the Huskers in 2026-27.

What is Mizzou's nonconference schedule?

Nebraska isn't the only opponent on Missouri's nonconference schedule — the Tigers have seven reported games on the slate so far.

After matchups in each of the last two seasons, Missouri's series with Howard will come to a close, as the Tigers will host the Bison for the final contest of the three-game agreement. The rest of Missouri's reported matchups will be against Power Five opponents, as head coach Dennis Gates spoke about the necessity to adapt a schedule to voters and new NCAA Tournament models.

"When you look at scheduling, you have to mesh it with where the selection committee is," Gates said Wednesday night at a 'ZOU to YOU' fan event in St. Louis. "So with the addition of spots in the NCAA Tournament, I think we got to do, and I have to increase our strength of schedule, because opportunity to get in there as a, not only a 20-win team, but something near below is definitely going to be there."

Many of Missouri's reported matchups are at neutral sites. The Tigers will play Kansas at the T-Mobile Center, Marquette at the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 15, Illinois at the Enterprise Center — likely on Dec. 22 — and Saint Louis at the Enterprise Center on Nov. 6. Missouri should also host an opponent as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge, as the Tigers hit the road to play Notre Dame last season.

Missouri still has six games to schedule on its nonconference slate, but the upcoming schedule is far more formidable than last season's nonconference opponents, which featured just four Power Five schools and was amongst the nation's easiest schedules.

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