Nebraska hoping for 'real game' experience for Red-White public scrimmage
While Nebraska’s 2024-25 season opener is still three weeks away, fans will get an early luck at Fred Hoiberg’s latest squad on Sunday.
The Huskers will hold a public intra-squad scrimmage at their former home arena, the Bob Devaney Center. NU will treat the event like an actual game, with two 16-minute halves and a full referee crew.
Hoiberg said the impetus behind holding the first public preseason scrimmage of his Nebraska tenure was to see how his team responded together in front of a live crowd.
“First of all, it gives you an opportunity to play in front of our fans,” Hoiberg said. “There’s always a bit of a different feel with your emotions. You’re going to have butterflies because there’s people out there watching. You can’t get away from what we need to do as a team.
“You always see it: the first time out there and you have fans, you try to play differently and maybe try to do too much.”
Husker players are excited for fans in the stands
Hoiberg and his staff will set the Red and White rosters following Saturday morning’s practice. Senior forward Juwan Gary said the Huskers had stuck with the same scrimmage teams through most of the offseason, but Sunday will likely feature some different pairings and lineups.
It might be a practice, but getting the players to lock in for the contest shouldn’t be an issue. While some players could take a causal approach, Gary said he’s treating Sunday’s scrimmage like a late-February Big Ten clash.
“I’m ready for it. I’m ready for it,” Gary said. “This is a real game to me, I ain’t gonna lie. This is a real game for me. Even though it’s an intra-squad scrimmage, we’re actually going to have real refs there… It’s going to be interesting for sure.”
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Fans can still claim free tickets to the scrimmage at Huskers.com/Tickets. The capacity will be limited to 6,000 fans, and concession stands will be available throughout the event.
The scrimmage begins at 2 p.m., and Devaney Center gates open at 1 p.m. Free parking will be accessible in the lots around the arena and on Innovation Campus.
For fans unable to attend, Nebraska will stream the scrimmage on Huskers.com and the Huskers app with NU’s radio team of Kent Pavelka and Jake Muhleisen. Their pregame show starts at 1:45 p.m.
Red Team Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown | Previous School |
| 3 | Brice Williams | G | 6-7 | 214 | Sr. | Huntersville, N.C. | Charlotte |
| 4 | Juwan Gary | F | 6-6 | 226 | Sr. | Columbia, S.C. | Alabama |
| 5 | Braden Frager | F | 6-7 | 220 | Fr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Southwest HS |
| 9 | Berke Büyüktuncel | F | 6-10 | 244 | So. | Bursa, Türkiye | UCLA |
| 24 | Rollie Worster | G | 6-5 | 210 | Sr. | Missoula, Mont. | Utah |
| 31 | Cale Jacobsen | G | 6-4 | 195 | So. | Ashland, Neb. | Ashland-Greenwood HS |
| 34 | Braxton Meah | C | 7-1 | 265 | Sr. | Layton, Utah | Washington |
| 35 | Henry Burt | F | 6-7 | 222 | So. | Omaha, Neb. | Elkhorn South HS |
| 51 | Rienk Mast | F | 6-10 | 260 | Sr. | Groningen, Netherlands | Bradley |
RED TEAM COACHES: Adam Howard, Luca Virgilio, Michael Bania, Nihilo Ibarra, and Triston Simpson
White Team Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | Hometown | Previous School |
| 0 | Connor Essegian | G | 6-4 | 190 | Jr. | Fort Wayne, Ind. | Wisconsin |
| 1 | Sam Hoiberg | G | 6-0 | 185 | Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Pius X HS |
| 2 | Ahron Ulis | G | 6-3 | 190 | Sr. | Chicago, Ill. | Iowa |
| 8 | Jeffrey Grace III | G | 6-3 | 200 | Jr. | Elmhurst, Ill. | Arizona State |
| 12 | Gavin Griffiths | G | 6-7 | 193 | So. | Simsbury, Conn. | Rutgers |
| 20 | Justin Bolis | F | 6-8 | 225 | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Southeast CC |
| 23 | Andrew Morgan | F | 6-10 | 242 | Sr. | Waseca, Minn. | North Dakota State |
| 25 | Nick Janowski | G | 6-4 | 208 | Fr. | Pewaukee, Wis. | Pewaukee HS |
WHITE TEAM COACHES: Ernie Zeigler, Emmanuel Tommy, Padyn Borders, Justin Moore, and Josiah Allick
