The Nebraska women’s basketball team will face a loaded 18-game Big Ten Conference regular season, including marquee home matchups with 2014 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Maryland, Penn State, Purdue and Iowa.

The schedule announcement came from the Big Ten Conference on BTN Live on Thursday, Aug. 21, and included the unveiling of both the men’s and women’s conference schedules for the 2014-15 season.

Coach Connie Yori said Nebraska’s Big Ten schedule would challenge her Huskers, while giving fans an NCAA Tournament atmosphere every game at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

“It certainly isn’t going to be easy,” Yori said. “Our first three Big Ten home games will come against Maryland, Penn State and Purdue. Maryland went to the Final Four, Penn State went to the Sweet 16, and Purdue went to the NCAA second round. Overall, we will play 13 of our 18 conference games against teams that won NCAA or WNIT tournament games last year. You can’t get much more challenging than that.”

Season tickets are available now for Nebraska’s 17-game home schedule at Pinnacle Bank Arena by visiting Huskers.com or calling 1-800-8-BIG-RED. Single-game tickets for the Huskers’ special home game at the Bob Devaney Sports Center against Utah on Sunday, Nov. 23, are also on sale at Huskers.com.

Nebraska tips off the Big Ten Conference season on the road at Minnesota on Monday, Dec. 29. The Golden Gophers, who will be under the direction of first-year coach Marlene Stollings, return all five starters from a team that finished with 22 victories and advanced to the third round of the WNIT. The Huskers went 3-0 last season against the Gophers, including a win in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

The Huskers open home Big Ten action against first-year conference member Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 3. Coach Brenda Frese and the Terrapins earned a trip to the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four behind the leadership of Alyssa Thomas, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. The Terps, who finished 28-7 overall and 12-4 in the ACC, who also must replace three-year starting center Alicia DeVaughn and Katie Rutan, return plenty of weapons, including senior guard Laurin Mincy, junior forward Malina Howard and sophomore Lexie Brown.

The Big Red returns to the road to battle the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday, Jan. 8 in East Lansing, Mich. MSU shared the 2014 Big Ten regular-season title, finishing with a 13-3 conference mark on its way to a 23-10 overall record. The Spartans advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, after being eliminated from the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament by Nebraska. NU went 2-1 against Michigan State, including an early conference loss at East Lansing. The Huskers meet Michigan State just once in 2015.

Nebraska stays on the road to face Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 11, before returning home for a showdown with Penn State. The Lady Lions shared the Big Ten regular-season title with Michigan State and finished with a 24-8 overall mark before advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16. Penn State will have a new look in 2014-15 after losing their starting backcourt, including four-year starter and 2013 Big Ten Player of the Year and 2014 WNBA second-round pick Maggie Lucas. PSU also loses its No. 2 (Ariel Edwards), No. 3 (Dara Taylor) and No. 4 (Talia East) leading scorers from last season, but will be anchored inside by returning starter Tori Waldner. It will be NU’s lone regular-season matchup with Penn State in 2015.

The Huskers stay at Pinnacle Bank Arena for their third single-play game of the conference campaign when they play host to Purdue on Monday, Jan. 19. The special Martin Luther King Jr. Day game will continue a brief but thrilling series between the Huskers and Boilermakers. In the first six meetings between the two teams over Nebraska’s first three seasons in the Big Ten, three of the games have covered a total of six overtimes, while last year’s lone meeting in Lincoln on Jan. 19, 2014, went down to the wire in a 77-75 NU loss. Purdue advanced to the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament and finished with a 22-9 overall record that included an 11-5 Big Ten mark to tie for fourth in the regular-season conference standings.

Following a road clash at Wisconsin on Thursday, Jan. 22, the Huskers will play their fifth foe to advance to at least the NCAA Tournament second round in the first eight Big Ten games, when they travel to Iowa on Jan. 26. The Hawkeyes return a majority of their weapons from a team that won a Big Ten-best 27 games in 2013-14. Iowa tied Purdue for fourth in the final conference standings at 11-5 and went 27-9 overall but went 0-3 against the Huskers, including a loss in the Big Ten Tournament title game. Nebraska is 9-0 against Iowa in NU’s first three seasons in the Big Ten.

The Huskers return home to complete their two-game season series with Illinois and the first half of Big Ten play on Thursday, Jan. 29. NU tips off the second half of conference action at home against Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 1, and the Huskers will hope it is the start of another fabulous February. Nebraska, which will play eight games in February, went 8-0 during the month last season. In fact, the Huskers will carry a 16-game February winning streak into the matchup with Michigan. The Wolverines finished 20-14 overall, 8-8 in the Big Ten, and advanced to the third round of the WNIT in 2013-14. NU, which went 7-0 in February of 2013, has won nine straight February home games and have not dropped a home game in the month since losing to Northwestern on Feb. 16, 2012.

After NU’s single-play game with Michigan, the Huskers head to Piscataway, N.J., for the first time in history for their first-ever meeting with Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights went 28-9 overall and 12-6 in their lone season in the American Athletic Conference before winning the 2014 WNIT championship. It will be NU’s lone regular-season meeting with Rutgers in 2014-15.

The Huskers continue the East Coast road swing by completing their season series with Maryland in College Park on Sunday, Feb. 8. The Big Red returns home to complete its home-and-home series with Iowa on Feb. 12, giving the Huskers 10 games against 2014 NCAA or WNIT teams in their first 12 Big Ten Conference contests.

NU wraps up its two-game season series with Wisconsin at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Sunday, Feb. 15, before hitting the road for single-play conference games at Northwestern (Feb. 18) and Indiana (Feb. 21). Northwestern finished with a 17-16 overall record and advanced to the WNIT third round, while the Hoosiers fought their way to the WNIT Elite Eight to finish with a 21-13 overall record.

Nebraska completes its two-game season series with Minnesota in Lincoln on Tuesday, Feb. 24, before honoring seniors Emily Cady, Brandi Jeffery, Tear’a Laudermill and Hailie Sample on Senior Day against Ohio State on Sunday, March 1. The four Husker seniors have led Nebraska to the most successful stretch in school history, averaging 25 wins per season in their first three years while claiming three straight NCAA Tournament bids. No Nebraska senior class has ever led their team to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.

The regular-season should prepare Nebraska well to defend its 2014 Big Ten Tournament championship, March 4-8, at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

The announcement of the NCAA Tournament field will be made on Monday, March 16. The NCAA first- and second-rounds will be held March 20-23 at 16 campus sites this season, before NCAA Regionals in Oklahoma City, Okla., Greensboro, N.C., Albany, N.Y., and Sacramento, Calif. The NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa Bay, Fla., April 5-7.

Lincoln – Home matchups against a pair of NCAA Tournament teams, as well as a trip to Hawaii highlights Nebraska’s 2014-15 non-conference schedule released Thursday.

The Huskers, who return five starters from a team that went 19-13 and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998, will host seven non-conference games at Pinnacle Bank Arena as well as an exhibition against Division II Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday, Nov. 6.  That matchup pits Nebraska Head Coach Tim Miles against a school he coached for four seasons, as he guided the Mustangs to the Division II Elite Eight in 2001.

The non-conference slate features home matchups with NCAA qualifiers Cincinnati and Creighton, a trip to Florida State for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and three games in the Diamond Head Classic over Christmas, where the Huskers face a 20-win Hawaii team in the opener and could meet Wichita State in the semifinals.

The 2014-15 season begins with a pair of home games, as Nebraska will open the 119th season in program history on Sunday, Nov. 16, against an opponent to be announced at a later date. Nebraska will take on a first-time opponent on Tuesday, Nov. 18, as the Huskers will host the Central Arkansas Bears. The Bears are coached by first-year coach Russ Pennell, who had previously served as the interim coach at Arizona in 2008-09 when the Wildcats reached the Sweet 16.

Nebraska will make its first road trip of the year on Saturday, Nov. 22, when the Huskers visit Atlantic 10 member Rhode Island. Third-year head coach Dan Hurley returns four starters, including sophomore E.C. Matthews, who was the Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Year in 2013-14. Nebraska won the only previous meeting between the schools in 2011.

The Huskers will host the first of its two games against in-state foes on Tuesday, Nov. 25, when Nebraska takes on the University of Nebraska-Omaha. The Mavericks welcome back four starters for Coach Darrin Hansen after reaching the postseason for the first time as a Division I program in 2013-14. The week continues on Friday, Nov. 28, when Nebraska hosts Tennessee Martin. The Skyhawks are coached by first-year coach Heath Schroyer, who had previously coached against Miles when he served as the head coach of Wyoming from 2007 until 2011.

The Huskers face a challenging December to close out non-conference play, as Nebraska’s five known opponents (Florida State, Creighton, Incarnate Word, Cincinnati and Hawaii) combined to post a 117-46 record in 2013-14. In addition, NU could face a Wichita State team that went 35-1 in 2013-14 in the semifinals in Hawaii while Colorado, George Washington, Ohio and DePaul are on the other side of the Diamond Head Classic bracket.

Prior to heading to Hawaii, the Huskers will face three postseason teams in their first four games of the month, including a Florida State team brings back four starters from a team that won 22 games and reached the NIT semifinals in 2014. On Sunday, Dec. 7, Creighton makes its first-ever trip to Pinnacle Bank Arena, as the Bluejays went 27-8 before falling to Baylor in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.  Nebraska and Creighton will meet for the 48th time with the Huskers holding a 25-22 series lead over the Bluejays.

The three-game homestand continues on Wednesday, Dec. 10, when the Huskers face Incarnate Word. The Cardinals, who are in their second year transitioning to Division I, went 21-6 last year posting the most ever wins for a transitional Division I program. The Cardinals have three starters back, including Denzel Livingston, who averaged 20.3 points, 6.4 assists and 3.8 assists per game in 2013-14.

Nebraska’s final home non-conference game is on Saturday, Dec. 13, when the Huskers welcome Cincinnati to Pinnacle Bank Arena in the second game of a home-and-home series. The Bearcats went 27-7 and shared the American Athletic Conference regular-season title in 2013-14. It marked the fourth straight NCAA appearance for the Bearcats and Head Coach Mick Cronin, whose team replaces three starters, including first-team All-American Sean Kilpatrick.

The Huskers wrap up the non-conference schedule at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic beginning with a first-round game against host Hawaii on ESPNU. The trip marks the Huskers’ first trip to Hawaii since the 2006-07 campaign.

Start times and television information will be released by the Big Ten in September. Nebraska’s Big Ten schedule will be announced this evening on BTN Live beginning at 5 p.m. central.

Nebraska Basketball 2014-15 Non-Conference Schedule

Day                Date             Opponent                                                                          Location                         TV                                                    Tipoff
Thursday        Nov. 6          Southwest Minnesota State (exhibition)                                 Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Sunday           Nov. 16        TBA                                                                                    Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Tuesday          Nov. 18        Central Arkansas                                                                Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Saturday         Nov. 22        at Rhode Island                                                                  Kingston, R.I.                  TBA                                                     TBA

Tuesday          Nov. 25        Nebraska-Omaha                                                                Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Friday             Nov. 28        Tennessee-Martin                                                              Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Monday          Dec. 1          at Florida State (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)                                     Tallahassee, Fla.             ESPN2                                             6 p.m.

Sunday           Dec. 7          Creighton                                                                           Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Wednesday    Dec. 10        Incarnate Word                                                                  Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Saturday         Dec. 13        Cincinnati                                                                           Pinnacle Bank Arena      TBA                                                     TBA

Monday          Dec. 22        vs. Hawaii (Diamond Head Classic)                                             Honolulu, Hawaii           ESPNU                                      11:59 p.m.

Tuesday          Dec. 23        vs. Wichita St./Loyola Marymount (Diamond Head Classic)          Honolulu, Hawaii           ESPNU/2                                8/10:30 p.m.

Thursday        Dec. 25        vs. TBA (Diamond Head Classic)                                                  Honolulu, Hawaii           TBA                                                     TBA

Dates and Times subject to change; Times listed are Central

Lincoln – A pair of teams in this month’s FIBA World Cup will have Husker connections, as former Husker center Jorge Brian Diaz has been named to the Puerto Rico National Team.  He joins Husker sophomore guard Tai Webster, who was selected for the New Zealand National Team earlier this week.

Diaz played at Nebraska from 2009 until 2012 and totaled 765 points, 342 rebounds and 110 blocked shots during his career. His 110 blocked shots ranks ninth on Nebraska’s career chart, including 41 blocked shots as a redshirt freshman in 2009-10. His best year came in 2010-11, when he averaged 10.5 points per game on 54 percent shooting and 3.3 rebounds per game to help the Huskers win 19 games and earn an NIT bid. He was limited to just 16 games in his final year at Nebraska because of foot injuries, averaging 8.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocked shots per game.

Diaz currently plays professionally for Quebradillas Pirates in his native Puerto Rico, where he averaged 8.0 points on 57 percent shooting and 3.5 rebounds per game during the 2014 season which completed last month.

Prior to this year, only one Husker (Bill Johnson in 1954) had played in the FIBA World Cup, which until 2010 was known as the FIBA World Championships.  It is the second straight major competition where at least two Huskers have played, as Aleks Maric (Australia) and Ade Dagunduro (Nigeria) both played in the 2012 London Olympics.

Puerto Rico, which is ranked 17th in the world by FIBA, is in Group B, a six-team pool which includes Argentina, Senegal, Greece, Philippines and Croatia.  They open tournament play against Argentina on Saturday, Aug. 30.Puerto Rico has its final pretournament game on Friday night when it takes on Team USA at Madison Square Garden. The game tips Friday night at 6 p.m. central and will be televised on ESPN2.