The Big Ten released its 20-game men’s basketball conference schedules on Thursday, and the Huskers will face some difficult tests right out of the gate.
Nebraska will travel to Bloomington to take on potential preseason favorite Indiana and likely preseason All-American big man Trayce Jackson-Davis in its early conference opener on Dec. 7 (the third time in Fred Hoiberg’s four seasons in Lincoln that Nebraska will open against the Hoosiers) before returning home to host Purdue and 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Dec. 10.
B1G slate. 🗓
Let's ride. 🏀 pic.twitter.com/tPhCVeKFpg— Nebraska Basketball (@HuskerHoops) September 8, 2022
The Cornhuskers will open and close the bulk of their Big Ten slate against Iowa, hosting the Hawkeyes on Dec. 29 then traveling to Iowa City in the regular season finale on March 5. Last season’s Big Ten Player Keegan Murray is off to the NBA, but his twin brother Kris will likely slide into a more featured role for the Hawkeyes.
The most difficult three-game stretch might come in mid-January as Nebraska hosts Illinois on Jan. 10, travels to Purdue on Jan. 13 and then returns to Lincoln to face Ohio State on Jan. 18. In total, seven of Nebraska first eight conference opponents were NCAA Tournament teams last year and project to be in the mix again this season, though those games are equally split between home and road.
The Huskers will face a tough test on their senior day as well as Michigan State visits the Vault on Feb. 28, capping a three-game home stand in February. The Spartans lost their top three scorers but return five of their top 10 and enroll a pair of 4-star recruits.
The Huskers will play consecutive road games just twice in league play as they face the Spartans and Gophers in early January and then Maryland and Illinois at the end of January. In total, six of Nebraska’s nine games in January will be on the road before a home-heavy February.
Nebraska went 10-22 overall last season including 4-16 in conference play, finishing in a tie with Minnesota for last in the league standings. Two of the team’s Big Ten wins were against the Golden Gophers and Penn State, and Nebraska will face both of them twice this season. The Huskers play the Gophers in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 and in Lincoln on Feb. 25. They’ll face the Nittany Lions in State College on Jan. 21 and at home on Feb. 5.
Jacob Padilla has been writing for Hail Varsity since 2015. He covers football, volleyball men’s basketball and prep sports. He also co-hosts the Nebraska Preps Postgame and Nebraska Shootaround podcasts for the Hurrdat Media and Hail Varsity podcast networks. His love of basketball can best be described as an obsession and if you need to find him, he’s probably in a gym somewhere watching, coaching or playing hoops.
