Mizzou announces new non-conference basketball game
The Mizzou basketball team is loading up the non-conference schedule in a way fans haven’t seen in the Dennis Gates era.
The team announced another new non-conference matchup Thursday, renewing an old conference rivalry with Nebraska.
The game will be Dec. 12, at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The Tigers and Cornhuskers haven’t played on the hardwood since March 1, 2011, when Nebraska won 69-58.
Mizzou holds a 126-93 lead in the all-time series, which dates to the 1907-08 season.
Nebraska is coming off a 28-7, 15-5 Big 10, season where the Cornhuskers were a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska reached the Sweet 16, but then lost to No. 9-seed Iowa.
The matchup marks the Tigers’ seventh known non-conference matchups. And it will be the second time in less than a week that Mizzou will play at T-Mobile Center, joining the Border War, which will tip off on Dec. 6.
That makes the Tigers’ non-conference schedule:
- Vs. Illinois in St. Louis
- Vs. Kansas in Kansas City
- Vs. Nebraska in Kansas City
- Vs. Saint Louis in St. Louis (still unconfirmed by team)
- Vs. Marquette in Chicago
- Hosting Howard (final game in a home-home-away series)
- The SEC/ACC Challenge (should be a home game)
With seven known matchups, there are six remaining non-conference slots available for Mizzou.
“When you look at fan participation and neutral-site games, that is an advantage in the NET,” Gates said at the ‘ZOU to YOU’ tour stop in St. Charles. “That’s an advantage in all kinds of metrics, from the standpoint of wins and losses, but also strength of schedule. It’s going to be important to prepare your team for conference.”