Lincoln – Nebraska will make five appearances on the ESPN family of networks during the Big Ten season, as the Big Ten Conference announced its 2013-14 Big Ten schedule Wednesday afternoon.
Nebraska’s Big Ten slate is highlighted by the Big Ten home opener against NCAA runner-up Michigan on Thursday, Jan. 9, in a game which will be carried on either ESPN or ESPN2. Nebraska will also make four appearances on ESPNU during Big Ten action, taking on Penn State (Jan. 23 in State College; Feb. 20 in Lincoln) and Northwestern (Feb. 8 in Evanston; March 1 in Lincoln). In addition, Nebraska’s Feb. 23 game against Purdue is one of three games under consideration for a CBS national telecast that afternoon, but a final determination on that will not be made until early February.
College basketball fans at Pinnacle Bank Arena will be treated to six games against NCAA Tournament qualifiers, as the Huskers will take on Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin during the Big Ten slate in their first season in the $179 dollar building.
The Huskers will be tested early during Big Ten action, with three of the first four games coming on the road. Nebraska opens conference action on New Year’s Eve with a familiar opponent, as the Huskers will face Iowa in the only regular-season contest between the schools. Dating back to last season, it is the third time in Nebraska’s last six conference games the teams have faced off, as the teams played twice in the final five Big Ten games, including last year’s regular-season finale in Iowa City. Nebraska’s two-game road trip continues onSaturday, Jan. 4, as the Huskers will travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on defending Big Ten Tournament champion Ohio State.
Nebraska then returns home for its Big Ten opener, as the Huskers will host the Wolverines in the first Big Ten men’s basketball game at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Jan. 9, before traveling to Purdue on Sunday. Jan. 12. The Huskers will close the month of January with three of their next four games at home, highlighted by a Martin Luther King Jr. Day matchup with Ohio State on Monday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m., and a visit from defending Big Ten regular-season champion Indiana on Thursday, Jan. 30.
Nebraska will hit the road for the first half of February with three of its first four contests away from Lincoln, including a rematch with Michigan on Feb. 5 and road tilts with Northwestern (Feb. 8) and Michigan State (Feb. 16). The only home game in that stretch is a matchup with Illinois on Feb. 12, the fifth straight Big Ten home matchup against an NCAA tournament qualifier. Nebraska returns home for matchups with Penn State (Feb. 20) and Purdue (Feb. 23), as the Huskers will play four of their final six games at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska will close the regular season by taking on Wisconsin on Sunday, March 9.
Nebraska’s four single-play opponents for the 2013-14 season are Iowa (away), Michigan State (away), Minnesota (home) and Wisconsin (home).
Other television information for Big Ten games will be announced by the conference office and its television partners at a later date. Nebraska’s non-conference schedule was announced earlier in August, while start times and television information will be announced in September.
The Huskers, under second-year Coach Tim Miles, return three starters from a team that went 15-18 in his first season, including guard Ray Gallegos and forwards David Rivers and Shavon Shields. Gallegos, who averaged 12.5 ppg in 2012-13, led the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game and ranked second in school history with 83 3-pointers, while Shields averaged 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a true freshman. Rivers started NU’s final 17 games at forward and averaged 5.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. In all, nine letterwinners return for the Huskers in 2013-14, while eight newcomers, including three redshirts, will suit up for the Scarlet and Cream this season.
Nebraska 2013-14 Men’s Basketball Schedule
Day Date Opponent
Monday Nov. 4 Nebraska-Kearney (Exh.)
Friday Nov. 8 Florida Gulf Coast
Tuesday Nov. 12 Western Illinois
Sunday Nov. 17 South Carolina State
Thurs.-Sun. Nov. 21-24 at Charleston Classic
Thursday Nov. 21 vs. UMass
Friday Nov. 22 vs. New Mexico or UAB
Sunday Nov. 24 vs. TBA (Clemson, Davidson, Georgia, Temple) Charleston, S.C.
Saturday Nov. 30 Northern Illinois
Wednesday Dec. 4 Miami
Sunday Dec. 8 at Creighton
Saturday Dec. 14 Arkansas State
Saturday Dec. 21 The Citadel
Saturday Dec. 28 at Cincinnati
Tuesday Dec. 31 at Iowa #
Saturday Jan. 4 at Ohio State #
Thursday Jan. 9 Michigan #
Sunday Jan. 12 at Purdue #
Monday Jan. 20 Ohio State #
Thursday Jan. 23 at Penn State #
Sunday Jan. 26 Minnesota #
Thursday Jan. 30 Indiana #
Wednesday Feb. 5 at Michigan #
Saturday Feb. 8 at Northwestern #
Wednesday Feb. 12 Illinois #
Sunday Feb. 16 at Michigan State #
Thursday Feb. 20 Penn State #
Sunday Feb. 23 Purdue #
Wednesday Feb. 26 at Illinois #
Saturday March 1 Northwestern #
Wednesday March 5 at Indiana #
Sunday March 9 Wisconsin #
All times listed are Central; dates and times subject to change. # – Big Ten Conference games; %-Game time determined no later than Dec. 30; !-Big Ten Wildcard Weekend – Game times determined no later than Feb. 3; ^-Big Ten Wildcard Weekend – Game times determined no later than March 3.