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Big Ten Conference Unveils Nebrasketball's 2025-26 Schedule, Announces League Tournament Expansion

Nebraska's two-play opponents are Iowa, Northwestern, and Illinois. Check out the full slate for the Huskers.

Kaleb Henry

Fred Hoiberg is going into his seventh season as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Fred Hoiberg is going into his seventh season as the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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The seventh schedule of the Fred Hoiberg era is here.

The Big Ten Conference released league schedules for all 18 teams on Thursday. This includes 10 home and 10 road games, including a trio of opponents featured as home-and-away games.

Nebrasketball's trio of home-and-away opponents are Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois.

Rienk Mast is set to return to action after missing 2024-25 with an injury.
Rienk Mast is set to return to action after missing 2024-25 with an injury. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Huskers will also host Wisconsin, Michigan State, Oregon, Washington, Purdue, Penn State, and Maryland. The Big Red will go on the road to take on Ohio State, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Rutgers, USC, and UCLA.

A change is coming to the Big Ten Conference Tournament this season for the men's side. The tournament is expanding to 18 teams. Last season's edition, the first with an 18-team league, had the bottom three teams eliminated before the conference tournament. The decision to expand or remain came from the league's coaches.

Before all of that, Nebraska opens with a pair of exhibition games. The Huskers host BYU on Oct. 18 and Midland on Oct. 27. The regular season opens against West Georgia on Nov. 3.

The Huskers are coming off a 21-14 season that ended with a title at the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. The Huskers return five lettermen from last season, including starters Berke Büyüktuncel and Sam Hoiberg, along with Connor Essegian, who averaged 10.7 points per game off the bench last season.

Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg holds up the College Basketball Crown trophy after the Huskers beat UCF in the championship game.
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg holds up the College Basketball Crown trophy after the Huskers beat UCF in the championship game. / College Basketball Crown/Intersport

The Big Red will also have new pieces that weren't part of the 2024-25 campaign. Rienk Mast, a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24, is back after missing last season with an injury. The Huskers also have brought in several transfer portal pieces, including former Husker guard Jamarques Lawrence, who was part of the last Nebraska team to make the NCAA Tournament.

Fans can get their first look at the team during Opening Night. The event is set for Friday, Sept. 19, in the Railyard near Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska Men's Basketball's 2025-26 Schedule

  • Oct. 18 vs. BYU (Exhibition)
  • Oct. 27 vs. Midland (Exhibition)
  • Nov. 3 vs. West Georgia
  • Nov. 8 vs. Florida International
  • Nov. 11 vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore
  • Nov. 15 vs. Oklahoma (Sioux Falls)
  • Nov. 20 at Hall of Fame Classic vs. New Mexico
  • Nov. 21 at Hall of Fame Classic vs. Kansas State/Mississippi State
  • Nov. 25 vs. Winthrop
  • Nov. 29 vs. South Carolina Upstate
  • Dec. 7 vs. Creighton
  • Dec. 10 vs. Wisconsin
  • Dec. 13 at Illinois
  • Dec. 21 vs. North Dakota
  • Dec. 30 vs. New Hampshire
  • Jan. 2 vs. Michigan State
  • Jan. 5 at Ohio State
  • Jan. 10 at Indiana
  • Jan. 13 vs. Oregon
  • Jan. 17 at Northwestern
  • Jan. 21 vs. Washington
  • Jan. 24 at Minnesota
  • Jan. 27 at Michigan
  • Feb. 1 vs. Illinois
  • Feb. 7 at Rutgers
  • Feb. 10 vs. Purdue
  • Feb. 14 vs. Northwestern
  • Feb. 17 at Iowa
  • Feb. 21 vs. Penn State
  • Feb. 25 vs. Maryland
  • Feb. 28 at USC
  • Mar. 3 at UCLA
  • Mar. 8 vs. Iowa

Home games are bolded.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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