(Lincoln, NE) — Nebraska Men’s Basketball will face one of its toughest non-conference schedules in recent memory during the 2026-27 season, highlighted by four games against power conference opponents and a neutral-site matchup with Boise State.
The Huskers are coming off a historic 28-7 campaign that included a school-record win total and the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance. Head coach Fred Hoiberg believes the challenging schedule will help prepare Nebraska for the rigors of Big Ten play.
“This schedule will challenge us beginning with the exhibition games in October,” Hoiberg said. “Our success last season created some opportunities to enhance our non-conference schedule, which should help us prepare for Big Ten Conference play.”
Nebraska will play 24 games against power conference opponents this season, including non-conference matchups with Missouri, Providence, Butler and Creighton. The Huskers will also meet Boise State at a neutral site in Sioux Falls.
The seven-game home non-conference schedule opens with Le Moyne in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Nebraska then travels to Uncasville, Connecticut, for the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena, where it will face Providence and first-year head coach Bryan Hodgson, who led South Florida to the American Conference title last season.
The Huskers return home for games against Lindenwood on Nov. 11, South Dakota on Nov. 18 and Southern on Nov. 25. Those contests are sandwiched around neutral-site games against Boise State in Sioux Falls on Nov. 15 and Butler in Chicago on Nov. 22.
December features Nebraska’s marquee non-conference matchups, beginning with its annual rivalry game against Creighton in Omaha on Dec. 5 before traveling to Kansas City to take on Missouri, which reached the NCAA Tournament last season and boasts one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. Nebraska’s two December Big Ten games will be announced later this summer.
The non-conference schedule concludes with home games against Mount St. Mary’s on Dec. 17, Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 20 and New Haven on Dec. 30 before the Huskers resume Big Ten play in January.
Nebraska returns one of the Big Ten’s top players in Pryce Sandfort, who earned First Team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 18.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager is also back after averaging 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds as a freshman while earning a spot on the conference’s All-Freshman Team.
The Huskers will also welcome back Connor Essegian, who averaged 10.7 points per game in 2024-25 before missing most of last season with an ankle injury.
Nebraska added significant talent through the transfer portal, including Sam Orme from Belmont, Trevan Leonhardt from Utah Valley, Boden Kapke from Boston College and Taj DeGourville from San Diego State. Freshmen Colin Rice and Jacob Lanier, both state players of the year in Iowa and Arkansas, respectively, round out the incoming class.
The Huskers’ 10-game Big Ten home schedule is highlighted by a matchup with defending national champion Michigan. It marks the first time Nebraska has hosted a reigning national champion since Kansas visited Lincoln in 2009 and the first defending national champion to play at Pinnacle Bank Arena since the facility opened in 2013.
Nebraska’s home conference slate also includes NCAA Tournament teams Iowa, Michigan State, UCLA and Ohio State, along with College Basketball Crown participants Rutgers and Minnesota. Indiana and USC round out the home schedule and are both receiving early Top-25 consideration for the upcoming season.
Game times and television information for the 2026-27 season will be announced at a later date.
Nebraska Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
| Date | Opponent |
| Fri., Oct. 9 | Saint Louis (exh.) |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | at BYU (exh.) |
| Mon., Oct 26 | vs. Kansas State (exh.) (Grand Island, Neb.) |
| Mon, Nov. 2 | Le Moyne |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | vs. Providence (Uncasville, Conn.) |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Lindenwood |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | vs. Boise State (Sioux Falls, S.D.) |
| Wed., Nov. 18 | South Dakota |
| Sun., Nov. 22 | vs. Butler (Chicago, Ill.) |
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Southern |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | at Creighton |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | vs. Missouri (Kansas City, Mo.) |
| Thurs., Dec. 17 | Mount St. Mary’s |
| Sun., Dec. 20 | FDU |
| Wed., Dec. 30 | New Haven |
