Brooklyn, N.Y. – Nebraska will see a familiar foe in a new setting, as the pairings for the Barclays Center Classic presented by Honda were announced Monday morning. Nebraska will face Cincinnati in the third non-conference matchup in three years between the two schools on Friday, Nov. 27, at 5:30 p.m. (CT).
The teams have split meetings on their respective home courts the last two years, with Nebraska posting a 56-55 double OT win over the Bearcats last December at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The win marked the Huskers’ first in the series after Cincinnati won the first four meetings.
The Huskers’ matchup with the Bearcats will be the tournament opener, as Tennessee and George Washington will meet in the second game approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Huskers’ matchup. On Saturday, Nov. 28, the third-place game will begin at 11 a.m. (CT) with the championship game to follow.
Cincinnati returns all five starters from a team that went 23-11 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats are led by senior forward Octavius Ellis, who averaged 9.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.0 block shots per game last season. Cincinnati also features a defense which ranked among the national leaders in scoring defense (6th, 55.8 ppg), blocked shots (12th) and field-goal percentage defense (15th, 388) in 2014-15.
Monday’s announcement means that the Huskers will play a trio of top-50 RPI teams in non-conference play, as NU had previously announced games at Villanova (33-3, 6th) and against Miami (25-13; 47th). In addition, the Huskers will get a second quality non-conference game the following day against either George Washington (22-13, 80th) or Tennessee (16-16, 102nd). Nebraska also has non-conference games against Rhode Island, which is among the favorites to win the Atlantic-10, and the annual intrastate matchup with Creighton.
Under the direction of fourth-year coach Tim Miles, Nebraska returns a pair of starters in 2015-16, including senior forward Shavon Shields, who paces NU’s returnees in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (2.2 apg). The Huskers also welcome a nationally ranked seven-member recruiting class that 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 gain the services of guard Andrew White III, who sat out last season after transferring from Kansas.
Tickets for both events will go on sale Thursday, Aug. 20 at 9 a.m. (CT) and can be purchased via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com, or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Friday, Aug. 14 at Noon. Tickets are available for groups by calling 855-GROUP-BK.