Nebrasketball: Huskers Non-Conference Schedule Set for 2021-22

The Nebraska Cornhuskers men’s basketball team released the full non-conference schedule for the 2021-2022 basketball season this afternoon. Matchups against Creighton, NC State, and Kansas State were already known along with an exhibition against old Big 8/12 foe Colorado, but the rest of the schedule was mostly still unknown until today.

The season officially starts Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Western Illinois (current guard Kobe Webster’s former team). That kicks off a seven-game homestand to start the season that also includes Sam Houston State, Creighton, Idaho State, Southern, Tennessee State, and South Dakota. The Huskers finally hit the road on Dec. 1 to take on NC State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. A neutral court matchup against Auburn in Georgia follows, before the final two non-conference games against Kansas State on Dec. 19 and Kennesaw St. on Dec. 22 to finish the slate.

Non-Conference Schedule

• Peru State (Exh.) - Oct. 27
• Colorado (Exh.) - Oct. 31
• Western Illinois - Nov. 9
• Sam Houston State - Nov. 12
• Creighton (Gavitt Tipoff Games) - Nov. 16
• Idaho State - Nov. 19
• Southern - Nov. 21 (Part of Nebraska’s MTE)
• Tennessee State - Nov. 23 (Part of Nebraska’s MTE)
• South Dakota - Nov. 27 (Part of Nebraska’s MTE)
• at NC State (B1G/ACC Challenge) - Dec. 1
• Auburn (Atlanta, GA) - Dec. 11
• Kansas State -Dec. 19
• Kennesaw State - Dec. 22

The Huskers are also once again hosting a multi-team event (MTE) in Lincoln that allows them to play three teams total this year as part of an exempt event separate from the regular season schedule limit. Teams not participating in such events are allowed fewer total regular season games than those participating in such events.

Nebraska has most recently participated in the Cayman Islands Classic in 2019, for example. Other such events include the Hall of Fame Classic in 2018, AdvoCare Invitational in 2017, and the DirecTV Wooden Legacy in 2016. Last season the team was set for the Myrtle Beach Invitational, but cancelled after it was impacted by COVID-19 and initially looking to move to Orlando, Florida. Nebraska hosted the Golden Window Invitation in Lincoln instead. It will be interesting to see if that will be an annual event moving forward in the years to come.

The Big Ten’s 20-game schedule has typically had two conference games set for early- or mid-December, and that may still happen for Nebraska again this year. The conference schedule won’t come out until likely August, but there are some long stretches in early December that look poised for additions. The opponents and locations for conference games were announced back in May, however.