This group of teams should help set the Huskers up nicely for the season

Hey, Nebrasketball now has some games scheduled for the upcoming season! Yes, we are really not that far away from fall sports which we all know and love.

To start things off, there isn’t a lot of eye candy in regards to teams on this non-conference schedule. It’s a little light. In fact, it’s really light. A vast majority of these teams did not end the previous season with winning records.

Believe it or not, this is good. Very good for the Huskers.

The past few years have been somewhat weighty for Fred and his squads. Most of the time Nebraska has limped into conference play with a handful of wins. This one could very well set the Huskers up nicely for a run later on in the season.

Will this slate help their RPI if they go something like 9-2 or 10-1? Probably not though wins over the likes of Creighton and Kansas State would help. What it will do is give them the chance for wins that will at the very least make their win loss record look better than it has the past few years. The Huskers went 7-4 last season. Not bad, but not great.

It also helps that there are only two games that will take the Huskers away from Pinnacle Bank Arena. This is the most home games the Huskers have had since the 2021-22 season. They head up to Sioux Falls, SD to take on Oregon State on November 18th. On December 17th they head down south to take on former Big 12 conference foe Kansas State. Outside of that the narrative is all in Lincoln.

Nebraska is in a place where they are improving, but they still need all the help they can get. This schedule will help it along.

Is it a pretty schedule? No, you will probably be a little bored or would rather have something to do during some of these games. However, wins are wins and if the Huskers go into the conference slate with a strong winning record then that should set them up at least psychologically to take on what the Big Ten decides to dish out this season.

Let’s take a look:

October 29th vs. Doane (Exhibition) - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• This is an exhibition game against an in state NAIA opponent. I respect the Tigers but if Nebraska looses this one, the season is over.

November 6th vs. Lindenwood - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• The Lions went 11-21 last year and lost in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.

November 13th vs. Florida A&M - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• The Rattlers went 7-22 last season. You tell me what should happen here.

November 13th vs. Rider (Cornhusker Classic) - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• Ah, the first game of the Cornhusker Classic. This matchup is against Rider University who had a winning record last season. The Broncos (no relation to Bronco Burger in Omaha but now I am hungry writing this) went 16-14 last season.

November 15th vs. Stony Brook (Cornhusker Classic) - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• Another team with a losing record in 2022-23. The mighty Seawolves of Stony Brook went 11-22. Yes, this is the university that sent their baseball team to the College World Series in 2012.

November 18th vs. Oregon State - Sanford Pentagon (Sioux Falls, SD)

• Oh man, the first “Power Conference” opponent is against Oregon State. The Beavers went 11-21 last season. 5-15 in Pac-12 conference play. Not sure they will be any better this year but this is head coach Wayne Tinkle’s 9th season and seems to be a bit off from the Elite Eight run back in 2021. Hopefully we see another W for the Huskers in the great state of South Dakota.

November 22nd vs. Duquesne (Cornhusker Classic) - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• Another Cornhusker classic game. This time, against a team that did something last year. Well, something in comparison to the other teams so far on this list. The Dukes went 20-13 last season. While they did get knocked out of the A-10 tournament in the second round they did pay for an invite to the CBI where they lost to Rice.

November 26th vs. Cal State Fullerton - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• They’re not just a baseball school. Last season the Titans went 20-13 and made it to the championship game of the Big West conference tournament where they lost to NCAA Tournament participant UC Santa Barbara.

December 3rd vs. Creighton - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• Oh, our old rival from up the road, Creighton. Remember last season where Nebraska went full on Big Ten basketball and beat the Blue Jays? Yeah, that was nice. Creighton regrouped and went on to a 24-13 record and made it all the way to the Elite Eight where they lost to championship game participant San Diego State. The game is in Lincoln so hopefully the Huskers can take a winning record into this game and pull off two in a row to Greg McDermott and his crew.

December 17th vs. Kansas State - Manhattan, KS

• Okay, Kansas State was good last year. They ended the year #9 in the nation with a 26-10 record. Like Creighton, they also made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. A lot of last years team will not be coming back due to graduations and transfers so we will see how well Jerome Tang can transfer last seasons success into another big run. I would expect they will be a formattable opponent regardless.

December 20th vs. North Dakota - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• The Fighting Hawks of North Dakota State! They went 13-20 last year.

December 29th vs. South Carolina State - Pinnacle Bank Arena

• South Carolina State went 5-26 in 2022-23. Dead last in the MEAC

So, now you can all get an idea of what this schedule is like. Nebraska at best could win out given they upset (I’m assuming upsets) Creighton and Kansas State. Outside of that, this is a very winnable non-conference schedule.