Huskers? League Schedule Highlighted by Appearance on Big Monday

Lincoln --- An exciting slate of games, including matchups with six 2006 postseason squads and hosting the program’s first Big Monday telecast on ESPN in seven years, highlights the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ Big 12 Conference schedule, the Nebraska Athletic Department announced Friday. 

 

Overall Nebraska will play host to eight conference games in 2007, with four home games each in January and February before the Big 12 Championships in Oklahoma City on March 8-11. Nebraska finished last season with a 19-14 overall record and looks to improve on a sixth-place finish, the Huskers’ first finish in upper half of the conference standings since 1998.

 

“Year in and year out, the Big 12 Conference is one of the greatest leagues in the country. The players, coaches, fans and arenas of the Big 12 make the competition so exciting that we wish we could begin playing today,” said seventh-year head coach Barry Collier. “We look forward to following up on last year’s first-division finish with an even bigger and better season in 2006-07. We also appreciate the opportunity for additional exposure for our team as we appear on  ESPN’s Big Monday.”

 

The Huskers open the Big 12 slate on the road at border rival IowaState on Wednesday, Jan. 10. ISU makes a return visit to Lincoln on Senior Day on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Nebraska and IowaState have split the annual series each of the past five seasons, with the visiting team winning each game in 2006. Junior-to-be center Aleks Maric led the way in NU’s dominating win in Ames last year, as he posted an NU and Big 12 Conference sophomore record 37 points on 11-of-13 shooting to propel the Huskers to a 73-63 victory.

 

The Huskers then open the home league schedule on Saturday, Jan. 13 when the Oklahoma State Cowboys make an appearance at the BobDevaneySportsCenter. NU and OSU will tip off at 12:30 p.m. in the Huskers’ first ESPN Plus telecast of the season. After a thrilling 59-57 victory in Stillwater, Okla., last season, the Huskers have won two straight over OSU and the teams are even (5-5) in the series since the formation of the Big 12 Conference. NU also owns a 61-49 all-time series advantage over OklahomaState.

 

Next up for the Cornhuskers will be a trip to the Sooner state on Wednesday, Jan. 17, when they face Oklahoma. Nebraska swept two matchups against nationally ranked OU squads last season, including a 59-58 home victory in the conference opener. NU then knocked out the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship on the way to its second semifinal appearance.

 

The Huskers play three of their next four games at the DevaneyCenter starting with a Saturday, Jan. 20 matchup against Colorado with tip off at 5 p.m. on ESPN Plus. Texas then comes to the DevaneyCenter on Wednesday, Jan. 24, before the Huskers hit the road to take on KansasState on Saturday, Jan. 27.

 

A quick turnaround is then in order as the Huskers face Kansas at the DevaneyCenter on Monday, Jan. 29. The Big Monday telecast will be the first for the Huskers since 2000 when NU played host to No. 20 Oklahoma at the DevaneyCenter. The game will be one of at least 17 televised contests for the Huskers in 2006-07, including the Huskers’ telecasts on Fox Sports Net and the Big 12 television package.

 

Nebraska plays four of its next six contests on the road with only Texas A&M (Saturday, Feb. 10) and Kansas State (Tuesday, Feb. 13) heading to the Devaney Center in the interim. The Huskers end the regular season with two home games over the final seven days, including contests against Missouri (Saturday, Feb. 24) and Iowa State. NU plays its final game before the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, March 3 at Colorado.

 

The Huskers’ non-conference schedule is still tentative as they are finalizing games for two open home dates. Nebraska is already scheduled to face a pair of 2006 NIT teams in Creighton (Nov. 18) and Western Kentucky (Jan. 6) in Lincoln. The Huskers will have at least six opponents this year that played in the 2006 NIT (Creighton, Rutgers, Miami, Western Kentucky, Colorado and Oklahoma State) while four others (Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M) reached the NCAA Tournament last year. Seven of those contests will be at the Devaney Center.

 

Fans throughout Husker Nation will be able to catch Nebraska on the road, as the team is currently scheduled to play at Rutgers (Dec. 2) before traveling to the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore., to take on the Oregon Ducks (Dec. 9). The Huskers also hit the road to play at the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii from Dec. 20 to 23. NU opens with Wyoming on Dec. 20 and will play either San Francisco or Hawaii in the second round on Dec. 22 before a final contest on Dec. 23. Other teams competing in the tourney include Charlotte, Houston, Creighton and Valparaiso.

 

Following Christmas break, NU heads to the FedEx Orange Bowl Classic where it will take on a squad from the Sunshine state for the second time in as many years when the Huskers and Miami Hurricanes tip off on Dec. 30.

 

The Nebraska men’s basketball schedule will be finalized in August along with television dates and tip-off times. Season ticket renewals for season ticket holders will be sent at the same time.