Nebraska’s exhibition slate is now set, and it comes with a wrinkle that fits the modern college basketball calendar: the Huskers will face three Division I opponents before the 2026-27 season, including a trip 90 minutes down Interstate 80 to Grand Island for a matchup with Kansas State.
The game will be played at the BigIron Events Center on Oct. 25 as the final tune-up before the regular season. It gives Nebraska a chance to meet a familiar regional opponent in a setting that coach Fred Hoiberg said should matter to the program.
“We have a lot of fans in central Nebraska and are excited to bring the Huskers to Grand Island,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said in a release. “With a third exhibition game, it provides us an opportunity to build our brand across the state, and we appreciate head coach Casey Alexander and the Wildcats for making this matchup happen.”
Alexander is entering his first year at K-State. He spent the previous seven seasons at Belmont, where he coached Nebraska transfer forward Sam Orme. Nebraska has played the Wildcats, a former conference opponent, in four of the past five regular seasons.
Volleyball has long used spring exhibition matches in towns all over the state, including Grand Island in 2014, when the Huskers swept Kansas State. Nebraska men’s basketball is now stepping into that same statewide model with a game that puts the program in front of fans outside Lincoln and Omaha.
The Huskers’ exhibition schedule also includes Saint Louis and BYU, giving Nebraska three Division I tests leading into the season.
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