Nebrasketball will take on an old Big 12 foe for an exhibition ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
Nebraska and Kansas State will play on Oct. 26 in Grand Island. The exhibition will take place at the BigIron Events Center, formerly known as the Heartland Events Center.
Gonna have a Grand ole time. 🏝️
🆚: Kansas State (exhibition)
📍: Grand Island, NE
🏟️: Eihusen Arena at BigIron Events Center
🗓️: Oct. 26 pic.twitter.com/a7Ek6kjD2v— Nebraska Men's Basketball (@HuskerMBB) July 27, 2026
“Hosting Nebraska and Kansas State at BigIron Events Center is a tremendous opportunity for Grand Island and all of central Nebraska, ” said Kyler Tarwater, Executive Director of BigIron Events Center. “High-profile events like this showcase the strength of our community, support local businesses and hotels, and reinforce Grand Island’s position as a destination for major sports and entertainment. ”
Ticket information, tipoff time and broadcast details will be announced later this summer.
“We have a lot of fans in central Nebraska and are excited to bring the Huskers to Grand Island,” Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “With a third exhibition game, it provides us an opportunity to build our brand across the state.”
The two teams last met just this past season. The Huskers were victorious in the final of the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, 86-85.
Kansas State controls the all-time series between the programs, with 129 wins to 95 for Nebraska. The Huskers, however, have won the last two meetings. The series dates back to the 1905-06 season, which saw Nebraska beat Kansas State 50-14 in Manhattan.
Nebrasketball Looking to Repeat 2025-26 Success
The Huskers are no longer carrying the burden of being the only major college basketball program without a win in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska grabbed two last season, beating Troy and Vanderbilt on the way to the Sweet 16.
Now, the Big Red are looking to make winning in March a regular occurrence.
All-Big Ten sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort is the only returning starter. He could have tried his hand at the NBA Draft, likely going in the second round, but elected to come back for another season in Lincoln. He started all 35 games and averaged 18.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists, making 42% of his shots from deep.
Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Braden Frager steps into a starting role. Frager was a dependable scorer and energy boost last season, averaging 11.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Contributors Connor Essegian, Leo Curtis, and Cale Jacobsen are all back. Will Cooper, who redshirted last season, will get a chance to crack the rotation.
Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg was busy in the transfer portal, bringing in likely starters in Trevan Leonhardt (Utah Valley), Sam Orme (Belmont), and Boden Kapke (Boston College). He also brought in Taj DeGourville (San Diego State), Kadyn Betts (Montana), and Damon Wilkinson (South Dakota State).
High school signees Colin Rice and Jacob Lanier will both battle for minutes. Rice missed a large portion of the summer practices with a hand injury.
2026-27 Schedule
The exhibition with Kansas State will bridge the gap between the second exhibition and the start of the season for the Huskers. Nebraska is at BYU for an exhibition on Oct. 16. The Cougars played an exhibition in Lincoln ahead of last season, with NU winning 90-89.
Nebraska's first exhibition will be at Saint Louis on Oct. 9.
The regular season begins on Nov. 7 in Connecticut at Mohegan Sun Arena, as Nebraska takes on Providence in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off. Two more neutral-site affairs follow, with Boise State in Sioux Falls on Nov. 15 and Butler in Chicago on Nov. 22.
Other known dates for games include at Creighton on Dec. 5 and against Missouri in Kansas City on Dec. 12.
In the Big Ten Conference, Nebraska will host Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA, Indiana, USC, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State. Road trips include Oregon, Illinois, Purdue, Washington, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa, Maryland, Penn State, and Michigan State.
The full nonconference and conference schedule will be announced at a later date.