4/6/2022 basketball Edit

Husker Hoops to open 2022-23 season vs. Maine, Omaha

Nebraska basketball has its first two non-conference opponents set for the 2022-23 season. (Associated Press)

Robin Washut • InsideNebraska

Senior Writer

Robin has been with HuskerOnline since July of 2008, focusing on Nebraska football team coverage as well as being the No. 1 Husker men's basketball team and recruiting writer.

As Nebraska heads into an important spring and summer, its first three tests of the 2022-23 season have come into shape.

HuskerOnline.com confirmed that NU will open the regular season with home games against Maine on Monday, Nov. 7, and Omaha on Thursday, Nov. 10.

The Huskers will also hold a return preseason charity exhibition game against Colorado in Boulder, Colo. The date for that game hasn't been set, but it's likely to be played on one of the last two weekends in October.

Maine is coming off a 6-23 campaign this past season, going 3-15 in the America East Conference. The Black Bears recently hired a new head coach in former Boston College assistant Chris Markwood.

Jai Steadman, a UNL and Lincoln (Neb.) Southeast alumnus and former Husker men's basketball student manager, is an assistant coach at Maine. Steadman took over as interim head coach for the final four games of last season, going 1-3.

Omaha is also going through a coaching change after finishing 5-25 last year and parting ways with Derrin Hansen, who coached the Mavericks for 17 seasons.

Former Oregon assistant Chris Crutchfield was named the Mavs' new head coach on Mar. 21.

As for the rest of Nebraska's non-conference slate, it will also take part in the ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando on Nov. 24-27.

Game dates and opponents for that event are still TBA, but the rest of the field includes Memphis, Oklahoma, Florida State, Stanford, Seton Hall, Ole Miss, and Siena.

The Huskers will take on Kansas State on Dec. 17 in Kansas City, Mo., at T-Mobile Arena for the second game of their three-year series.

They will also travel to Omaha for their annual rivalry matchup with Creighton and will participate in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Gavitt Games. Dates and opponents for those contests remain TBA.