Nebraska Hoops Plots Smoother Road to March with Revealing Non-Conference Slate
LINCOLN — After decades of March irrelevance, Nebraska basketball may finally be done playing coy with its destiny. With a non-conference schedule that borders on bold, the Cornhuskers are either setting themselves up for a long-overdue NCAA Tournament run—or a brutal public reckoning.
The upcoming slate is anything but timid. It begins with a high-profile exhibition against BYU, a program with its own deep postseason ambitions. Though technically unofficial, this matchup is dripping with implications. Both programs, built on grit rather than glitz, are desperate to prove they belong in the national conversation. The Huskers’ new-look roster, featuring transfer portal coups and an incoming freshman with Kevin Durant-like comparisons (at least by message board standards), will be put to the test immediately. No cupcake warmups. No excuses.
But the real fireworks start with a neutral-site clash against Oklahoma in Kansas City—an opponent Nebraska once considered a sworn enemy back in their Big 12 days. Now, it’s more like a family reunion with stakes. Oklahoma, led by its brash new coach who once tweeted that Nebraska “plays like a high school JV team,” will bring fire, and Fred Hoiberg knows it. The Huskers’ head coach, once known as “The Mayor” in Ames, Iowa, is staring down a crossroads. After years of inconsistent results and whispers about buyouts, this schedule is his final stand. “We’re not hiding,” Hoiberg said. “If we’re going dancing, we’ll earn it.”
The Hall of Fame Classic might be the most revealing. Slotted alongside names like Florida State and Saint Mary’s, the mini-tournament could launch Nebraska into the national rankings—or bury them before December. What’s clear is that this isn’t a schedule built to inflate win totals. It’s designed to expose weaknesses, highlight resilience, and, perhaps most importantly, court the NCAA selection committee with quality losses if necessary. That’s the new frontier: not avoiding losses, but shaping them.
Critics argue this approach is reckless. Former Nebraska assistant coach Stan Dawson, now an analyst for a regional network, called it “basketball suicide.” He points to the danger of morale collapse if early losses pile up. “You think 2-4 looks good to a 17-year-old recruit? This isn’t Duke,” Dawson scoffed on a recent podcast. But supporters say it’s the only way to climb out of the pit of mediocrity. “No one’s giving us a seat at the table,” Hoiberg countered. “We’re kicking the damn door in.”
Beneath the bravado lies a calculated gamble: that the program has matured, toughened, and retooled enough to handle the fire. After all, Nebraska is still the only Power Conference program to never win an NCAA Tournament game. This schedule doesn’t guarantee victory—but it promises clarity. Come March, Nebraska won’t be pleading for inclusion. They’ll either be battle-tested or battle-scarred.
And that, for a fanbase tired of being the punchline, might finally be enough.
