Two matchups against perennial NCAA Tournament teams and the program’s first appearance in the Diamond Head Classic in a decade highlight the Nebraska men’s basketball non-conference schedule, released this week.

The Huskers, coming off a 23-11 season and a trip to the 2024 NCAA Tournament, will play five of their 11 non-conference games on the road or at neutral sites, including a matchup with defending WCC regular-season champion Saint Mary’s in Sioux Falls on Nov. 17 and the annual matchup with Big East contender Creighton in Omaha on Nov. 22.

Nebraska will play three games in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii over Christmas week with games set for Dec. 22, 23 and 25. The eight-team field includes Charlotte, College of Charleston, Hawai’i, Loyola Chicago, Murray State, Oakland and Oregon State. The bracket will be announced later this summer, as Nebraska will play in the Diamond Head Classic for the first time since 2014.

“This schedule will help us get ready for Big Ten Conference play,” Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Playing at Creighton and against St. Mary’s in a neutral site will give our team two early tests that we can learn a lot from, and the Diamond Head Classic field will give us three more games against high quality competition away from home before we resume conference play in January.”

The Huskers will open the 2024-25 season with three straight home games, including the season opener against UT-Rio Grand Valley (Nov. 4) before taking on a Bethune Cookman (Nov. 9) team that won 17 games and played in the College Basketball Invitational in 2024. The three-game homestand concludes against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 13. 

As previously announced. Nebraska will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D, for a matchup with Saint Mary’s on Nov. 17 before the annual matchup against Creighton on Nov. 22 in Omaha.  Following those two contests, Nebraska will return home for a pair of non-conference games before Big Ten play starts in early December. 
NU will host South Dakota on Wednesday, Nov. 27, in the first meeting between the two programs since the 2021-22 season. The Coyotes return three starters and four of their top six scorers from last year, including Kaleb Stewart (15.6 ppg) and Paul Bruns (10.2 ppg).

North Florida went 16-16 and finished fifth in the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 9-7 mark. The Ospreys have increased their win total in each of the past five seasons under Matthew Driscoll and return a pair of double-figure scorers, including sixth-year senior Nate Lliteras, as the Seward, Neb., native averaged 10.4 ppg in 2023-24.

After the trip to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic, the Huskers will close non-conference action against Southern on Dec. 30. The Jaguars went 18-14 and finished third in the SWAC last season. 

Nebraska will also have one home exhibition game, as the Huskers will host Grand Valley State on Sunday, Oct. 27. Start times and broadcast information for the Huskers’ non-conference games will be set later this summer.

Fans interested in purchasing 2024-25 season tickets can join the season-ticket request list at Huskers.com/Tickets.  The Huskers will have 17 home games (16 regular-season games and one exhibition) in 2024-25, including Big Ten matchups with Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA and USC.

Nebraska returns seven letterwinners, including three starters, from a team that went 23-11 and reached the NCAA Tournament for Big Ten Coach of the Year Fred Hoiberg. The Huskers are led by seniors Brice Williams, who averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and Juwan Gary, who averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.  The Huskers also gain the services of seven transfers who have combined for 264 starts and 3,478 career points, 1,753 rebounds and 759 assists at their previous schools.