Nebrasketball: Huskers Likely Sitting Out Gavitt Tipoff Games

If the Nebraska Cornhuskers men’s basketball team follows the pattern of last year, then we should know in about three weeks what the non-conference basketball schedule will look like for the 2020-2021 season. However, we continue to get a clearer picture in the meantime what types of opponents will and won’t be on the schedule. If reports are accurate, then Nebraska will not be playing in the Gavitt Tipoff Games Challenge against a Big East opponent.

The Gavitt Tipoff Games is an annual challenge between the Big Ten and the Big East that started in 2015. The series is scheduled to run through 2022. 8 teams from each conference play each year, splitting home and home between the conferences equally.

All teams from each conference are contractually obligated to play in at least 4 games in the series, As of now, all Big Ten teams through the 2019-2020 season have played in 3 except for the Michigan State Spartans who will need to play each season remaining on the contract for the Big Ten to fulfill its obligations.

Nebraska has played three times, and has a 1-2 record overall. After losing on the road to the (eventual national champion) Villanova Wildcats 87-63 in 2015 and 1 79-56 loss at St. John’s in 2017 (when assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih was with his alma mater), the Huskers would go on to win their home matchup in 2018 against the Seton Hall Pirates by the wide margin of 80-57.

Overall the Big Ten hold a slim 2-0-3 edge to the Big East’s 0-2-3 record. However, half of the B1G holds a losing record in their individual records while 3 are undefeated (though the Spartans fall in this list and have only played once). The Big East also has half of their conference with a losing record, and one other team sits at .500 in the series.

For now the only game on the schedule we know the opponent in for Nebraska is the neutral court game at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri against the Kansas State Wildcats on December 19. The Huskers will also face the Creighton Bluejays at some point yet to be determined. Finally, we know they will play three games in the Myrtle Beach Invitational over Thanksgiving against a to be determined slate of opponents that include the Missouri Tigers, Pittsburgh Panthers, Loyola Chicago Ramblers, Charlotte 49ers, Penn Quakers, Dayton Flyers, and Utah State Aggies.