Huskers to Face Butler in Chicago
Lincoln –The Nebraska men’s basketball program continues to add to its non-conference schedule, as the Huskers will travel to Chicago for a non-conference matchup with Butler.
The matchup between the Huskers and Bulldogs will take place at the Credit Union 1 Arena on Sunday, Nov. 22. Ticket information, tipoff-time and broadcast information will be announced later this summer.
Both head coaches have NBA ties, as Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg coached the Chicago Bulls from 2015 to 2019 while Butler coach Ronald Nored served as an assistant coach in the NBA, most recently with the Atlanta Hawks, before taking the reins of the Butler program this spring.
The Nov. 22 matchup will mark the fourth all-time meeting between the schools and first since an 80-76 Husker win in the first round of the 2019 NIT. Nebraska leads the all-time series, 3-1, and the meeting will be the first regular-season matchup between the schools since Dec. 29, 1986.
“We were looking to add another high-profile game as we finalized our non-conference schedule and this matchup with Butler had many of the things we were looking for,” Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “It is an opportunity to play a BIG EAST program on a neutral court before we head into our December Big Ten Conference games, and we have a lot of fans and alumni in the Chicago area. I have a lot of respect for Coach Nored, who worked his way up the NBA coaching ranks before returning to lead his alma mater. He was with one of my basketball mentors in Rick Carlisle with the Pacers.”
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.
Nored takes over head coaching duties at his alma mater after spending the last decade on coaching staffs in the NBA. The Bulldogs return five players from last season’s roster, headlined by starters Jalen Jackson and Drayton Jones. The Bulldogs have retooled their roster with seven newcomers, highlighted by international players Asim Djulovic and Samu Adler, who led his Salon Vilpas team to the Korisliiga league title in his native Finland, earning Player of the Year honors while also being named Finals MVP. The Bulldogs also added Treyson Anderson (North Dakota State), Jordan Ellerbee (Florida Gulf Coast), Christian Moore (The Citadel), Eduardo Klafke (Ole Miss) and Samis Calderon (Kansas).
Today’s announcement marks Nebraska’s fourth neutral-site game announcement this season, as the Huskers will face Providence (Uncasville, Conn., Nov. 7), Boise State (Sioux Falls, S.D., Nov. 15) and Missouri (Kansas City, Dec. 12), as well as travel to Creighton during non-conference action. The remainder of Nebraska’s non-conference schedule should be posted later this summer