Lincoln – Nebraska basketball’s non-conference schedule for next season received a boost Wednesday afternoon, as the Big Ten and ESPN announced that the Huskers will take on Miami in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The matchup is slated for Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff time and television information will be announced at a later date.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 14 games of the three-day event matching top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioners Cup. All 14 games will also be available via WatchESPN.
The Hurricanes went 25-13 during the 2014-15 season in overtime and lost in the championship game of the NIT Tournament. Jim Larrañaga’s Hurricanes, who finished sixth in the ACC last season, return their top four scorers, including senior guard Sheldon McClellan, who averaged 14.5 points per game as a junior. Senior point guard Angel Rodriguez (11.9 ppg, 3.9 apg and 1.8 spg) and senior center Tonye Jekiri (8.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 1.4 bpg) also are back for the Hurricanes. Miami posted road wins at NCAA champion Duke and Florida in 2014-15 and were ranked as high as 15th nationally at one point during last season.
This will be the second time that the Huskers and Hurricanes have faced off the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. In 2013, Nebraska posted a 60-49 victory over Miami, also at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Huskers are 4-1 all-time against Miami dating back to the 1951-52 season.
The Huskers have played well in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge under Tim Miles, going 3-0 in that stretch, including a road win over Florida State last season. Nebraska’s .750 winning percentage in the event is the best of any Big Ten school, as NU has gone 3-1 since joining the Big Ten.
The Huskers return two starters in 2015-16, including senior forward Shavon Shields, who leads NU’s returnees in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (2.2 apg). The Huskers also welcome a nationally ranked recruiting class which includes freshmen Ed Morrow Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr., both of whom are ranked in the top-75 nationally by ESPN.com. In addition, the Huskers also gain the services of guard Andrew White III, who sat out last season after transferring from Kansas.
The Big Ten retained the Commissioner’s Cup, given to the champion of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, following an 8-6 victory last season. The Big Ten trails in the all-time series, 10-4-2, but is 4-0-2 in the last six years of the event.
Wednesday’s announcement is the second one for the 2015-16 season, as the Huskers will travel to Big East champion Villanova in the Gavitt Tipoff Games on Tuesday, Nov. 17.