Huskers to Face Missouri in Kansas City

Lincoln –The Nebraska men’s basketball program will face an old rival this December, as the Huskers will square off with Missouri.  The matchup between a pair of longtime conference foes is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.

Ticket information will be announced in July, while the tipoff time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

Both Nebraska and Missouri are on the upswing, as the Huskers are coming off a school-record 28-win season and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, while the Tigers have reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons.

Missouri leads the all-time series that dates back to 1908, 126-95. The December matchup will mark the first game between the schools in more than 15 years since a 69-58 Nebraska win at the Devaney Center on March 1, 2011. The teams have met in Kansas City numerous times over the years from the Big Eight Holiday Classic to postseason conference tournaments.

“This is a matchup our fans will be excited about because of the history between the two programs over the years,” Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Coach (Dennis) Gates has a team that could challenge in the SEC this season, and this will provide us a strong test right after we finish our Big Ten December schedule. Playing this matchup in Kansas City brings back a lot of memories of old conference matchups, and I believe our fans will make this a great neutral-site environment.”

The Tigers are coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 20-13 mark a year ago. Under Dennis Gates, Missouri has made the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four seasons. Missouri is in several preseason top-25 polls, including ESPN’s latest one released on June 1. The Tigers welcome six transfers along with a top-10 recruiting class this season.

Nebraska returns two of its top three scorers and six letterwinners from a team that won a school-record 28 games and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 last season. The returnees are headlined by rising senior Pryce Sandfort, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 18.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. NU also welcomes back Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager, as the rising sophomore averaged 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.  In addition, the Huskers regain the services of Connor Essegian, who averaged 10.7 ppg in 2024-25 before missing most of last season with an ankle injury. NU also added seven players, including five transfers and a pair of freshmen who are both among the top-150 recruits in the country.

This marks the second straight season the Huskers have played in Kansas City following last year’s Hall of Fame Classic title.

Today’s announcement marks the third non-conference neutral-site game this season, as the Huskers will face Providence (Uncasville, Conn.) and Boise State (Sioux Falls, S.D.) as well as travel to Creighton during non-conference action.