Three takeaways from Nebraska basketball's 2023-24 non-conference schedule
Nebraska basketball officially announced its full 2023-24 non-conference schedule on Wednesday, featuring notable changes from previous years.
Here are three immediate takeaways from the Huskers’ 11-game non-con slate this season…
| OPPONENT | DATE | LOCATION |
| Doane (Exhibition) | Oct. 29, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Lindenwood | Nov. 6, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Florida A&M | Nov. 9, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Rider (Cornhusker Classic) | Nov. 13, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Stony Brook (Cornhusker Classic) | Nov. 15, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Oregon State | Nov. 18, 2023 | Sanford Pentagon (Sioux Falls, S.D.) |
| Duquesne (Cornhusker Classic) | Nov. 22, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Cal State Fullerton | Nov. 26, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Creighton | Dec. 3, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Kansas State | Dec. 17, 2023 | Bramlage Coliseum (Manhattan, Kansas) |
| North Dakota | Dec. 20, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| South Carolina State | Dec. 29, 2023 | Pinnacle Bank Arena (Lincoln, Nebraska) |
Nebraska took a much more manageable non-con approach
Nebraska has had plenty of issues during its recent run of struggles. But the Huskers haven’t done themselves many favors with how difficult they’ve scheduled in non-conference play.
Last season, seven of NU’s 11 non-con games were against high-major competition, including six played away from Pinnacle Bank Arena. In all, 27 of its 31 games in 2022-23 were against power conference opponents, the most in program history.
The reality for Nebraska going into Year 5 under head coach Fred Hoiberg is that it needs to win. Even if the schedule doesn’t do much to excite the fan base, it provides the Huskers a chance for something they haven’t had in far too long – early-season momentum.
As things stand, the Huskers should be favored in nine of their 11 non-conference matchups. The last time NU had nine or more non-con wins was 2018-19 when it went 10-1. That led to a 19-win campaign.
Twenty Big Ten games, a preseason top-10 or 15 Creighton team, and a trip to Kansas State should be enough to give the Huskers a chance for a formidable NCAA Tournament resume. For that to happen, though, they must be as far above .500 as possible.
Home sweet home
Last season, Nebraska played just five of its 11 non-conference games in front of its home crowd. That will change significantly this year.
The Huskers will host nine non-con home contests in 2023-24, including its first five outings. The last time they had more was 2010-11 – before the move to a 20-game conference schedule – when they played 11 at Bob Devaney Sports Center.
The primary reason is that NU isn’t traveling for a multi-team event (MTE) this season. Instead, it’s hosting an extended three-game MTE with Stony Brook, Duquesne, and Rider.
On top of that, Nebraska will only play one true road game at Kansas State. The only other trip outside Lincoln will be to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a neutral-site tilt vs. Oregon State. When the Huskers last played at The Pentagon in 2018 against Oklahoma State, the crowd was roughly 90 percent NU fans.
Instate rival Creighton will be the only high-major opponent that comes to Pinnacle Bank Arena this year. The annual ACC/Big Ten Challenges ended last season, and the Huskers are not part of this round of the Gavitt Games (Big Ten vs. Big East).
Early December will be a defining stretch
Given how light Nebraska’s overall non-conference slate is, it’s pretty easy to point out the most crucial stretch.
On Dec. 3, the Huskers will look to get back-to-back wins over Creighton for the first time since 1997. They will then complete a three-game series with Kansas State on Dec. 17 at Bramlage Coliseum.
As if the rivalry wasn’t enough fuel, the Bluejays could be a preseason top-10 team. The Wildcats are coming off a run to the Elite Eight.
The real separator is that those games will sandwich Nebraska’s two December Big Ten contests. The early conference matchups have yet to be announced, but given recent history, the Huskers will likely face at least one of the league’s favorites.
That means NU will play four straight games against high-major opponents, and there’s a chance that could feature two, three, or even four top-25 teams.
How the Huskers come out of that four-game stretch will be a tone-setter for the rest of the season.
