Nebraska adds another soft landing before Big Ten play truly begins

Still a good six months away from the Nebraska basketball season opener, the Huskers’ schedule is starting to fill out. One of the last non-conference teams that had been previously unannounced was unveiled on Wednesday when insider Matt Brown revealed he’d gained information from the university through FOIA filings. While most of the non-conference opponents were already known, On3’s Robin Washut confirmed that NU has scheduled a game against New Haven for a December 30 tilt.

Fred Hoiberg and Nebraska basketball add New Haven to the 2026-27 schedule

While there might still be some openings in the non-conference schedule, one thing is abundantly clear, especially with a 76-team NCAA Tournament coming down the pike, Fred Hoiberg and the Cornhuskers are not worried about a tough non-conference slate. That means if NU is a bubble team this year, it will have to lean on its Big Ten resume to get it into the Big Dance.

The new Nebraska schedule shows the Huskers opening the season on November 2 against Le Moyne, then traveling to a neutral site game against Providence on November 7. The Huskers then face off against Lindenwood on November 11, Boise State at the Sanford Pentagon on November 15, South Dakota back in Lincoln on November 18, Creighton on December 5, Mount St. Mary’s on December 17, Farleigh Dickinson on December 20, and then the new addition of New Haven.

In all, Washut confirmed the list Brown posted on social media, though he pointed out some games Brown missed and corrected one date. It’s worth noting that the nine non-conference games that have been confirmed is two shy of the 11 non-con games the Huskers played last year, so there is definitely a chance that a few more teams will get added.

Fred Hoiberg has Nebraska basketball building a manageable non-conference slate

One would hope that if there are additions to the schedule, they’ll be at least middling teams from major conferences. As of now, this slate pales in comparison to the 2025-26 slate that includes programs like Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Kansas State. Those at least carried big names, even if the teams weren’t top of the heap. As of now, Creighton is arguably the best team on the non-conference schedule, with Providence following closely behind. However, both Big East squads finished last year with losing records.

This non-conference addition came just a few days after Nebraska learned where and what teams they’ll play in the Big Ten this coming season. The Big Ten schedule features three double-play opponents and one game apiece against the remaining 14 conference schools, totaling 20 games.

The home schedule will feature Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA, and USC. The Wolverines are the first defending national champion that the Huskers have hosted since Kansas in 2009.

The road schedule will see Nebraska travel to Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington, and Wisconsin. The Huskers' double-play opponents are Iowa, Michigan State, and Penn State.

With Nebraska bringing in quite a few new faces and losing star players like Rienk Mast and Jamarques Lawrence, it makes sense that the Cornhuskers want a soft landing before another tough Big Ten run begins. Still, with just how easy the non-con could be, they’ll need to win early and often.

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