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Nebrasketball Reveals Nonconference Slate for 2025-26 Season

The Huskers will not play a true road game outside the conference, keeping all contests within 3½ hours of Lincoln.

Kaleb Henry

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast drives to the basket during an NCAA Tournament game against Texas A&M in March 2024.
Nebraska forward Rienk Mast drives to the basket during an NCAA Tournament game against Texas A&M in March 2024. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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The full Nebraska men's basketball nonconference slate for 2025-26 is here.

The Huskers made the announcement Friday morning. The schedule begins with a pair of exhibition games against BYU and Midland, both at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg watches during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines.
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

“We have a number of tests in our nonconference schedule, beginning with the exhibition game with a BYU team that went to the Sweet 16 last season,” head coach Fred Hoiberg said. “That matchup will give us a good gauge heading into the season.

“We open with three straight home games before facing Oklahoma and two high-caliber games in the Hall of Fame Classic the following week. The December portion of the schedule features Creighton which will be one of the favorites in the Big East and two Big Ten games before we return to conference play in January.”

Creighton remains the highlight of the nonconference schedule. The Huskers and Bluejays will meet in Lincoln on Dec. 7.

Nebraska will not play a true road contest before conference play. The Big Red open the regular season at home against West Georgia on Nov. 3, followed by home contests against Florida International and Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg dribbles against Creighton guard Pop Isaacs on Nov. 22, 2024
Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg dribbles against Creighton guard Pop Isaacs on Nov. 22, 2024 / Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Huskers then go on the road for three of neutral-site games. Nebraska takes on Oklahoma in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon on Nov. 15. NU then travels to Kansas City for the Hall of Fame Classic Nov. 20-21, with the other teams at the event including Kansas State, Mississippi State, and New Mexico.

The rest of the nonconference schedule features Winthrop, South Carolina Upstate, North Dakota, and New Hampshire.

Nebraska's Big Ten Conference schedule has not been announced, but pairings came out at the end of April. Those matchups can be found here.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) dribbles.
Nebraska forward Berke Buyuktuncel. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

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.

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.

The full nonconference schedule can be seen below.

2025-26 Nebraska Nonconference 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 Fam Classic (Kansas State, Miss. St., New Mexico)
  • Nov. 21 at Hall of Fam Classic (Kansas State, Miss. St., New Mexico)
  • Nov. 25 vs. Winthrop
  • Nov. 29 vs. South Carolina Upstate
  • Dec. 7 vs. Creighton
  • Dec. 21 vs. North Dakota
  • Dec. 30 vs. New Hampshire

Home games are bolded.

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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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