Lincoln – A big piece of Nebraska’s 2016-17 basketball schedule fell into place Tuesday afternoon, as the Big Ten and ESPN announced that Nebraska will travel to Clemson for the 2016 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
The first-ever meeting between the Huskers and Tigers will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at Littlejohn Coliseum. Start time and television information will be announced at a later date.
Clemson finished 17-14 overall and tied for seventh in the ACC with a 10-8 record for Coach Brad Brownell. The Tigers tied a school record with 10 ACC wins and had three consecutive wins over ranked teams (Louisville, Duke and Miami). The Tigers could have three starters returning in 2016-17, including first-team All-ACC forward Jaron Blossomgale (18.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg), as he has not made a decision after declaring for the NBA Draft. Blossomgale is potentially one of three returning double-figure scorers for the Tigers, as Donte Grantham (10.2 ppg; 4.1 apg) and Avry Holmes (10.0 ppg; 2.8 rpg) are also back for the Tigers.
Clemson is 9-7 all time in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge following a loss at Minnesota last season, and is 4-4 in home Big Ten/ACC Challenge tilts.
Under fifth-year head coach Tim Miles, the Huskers could return as many as three starters from a team that went 16-18 in 2015-16. Six of the Huskers top-eight scorers could return, depending on the status of Andrew White III, who declared for the NBA Draft without signing with an agent. White, an honorable-mention All-Big Ten pick, averaged 16.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his first season at Nebraska and would be the second-highest scorer returning in the Big Ten in 2016-17. NU also returns guards Tai Webster (10.0 ppg; 4.1 rpg; 1.4 spg) and Glynn Watson Jr. (8.6 apg; 2.4 apg) and sophomore forward Michael Jacobson (4.7 ppg; 4.3 rpg).
NU also welcomes Louisville transfer Anton Gill, and a three-member freshman class (Jeriah Horne, Isaiah Roby, Jordy Tshimanga) which were all ranked in the top-150 seniors nationally by Rivals.com
The Huskers have played well in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge under Miles, going 3-1 in four previous appearances, including road wins at Wake Forest (2012) and at Florida State (2014). The Huskers are one of three current Big Ten programs with winning records in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 14 games of the three-day event matching top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner’s Cup. All 14 games will also be available via WatchESPN.
The Big Ten held on to the Commissioner’s Cup for the seventh straight year following an 8-6 victory in 2015. The ACC leads the all-time series, 10-5-2, but the Big Ten is 5-0-2 over the last seven years.
Today’s announcement gives the Huskers five games away from Pinnacle Bank Arena in non-conference play, including a trip to Kansas on Dec. 10 as the start of a home-and-home series with the Jayhawks. In addition, the Huskers will also compete in the 2016 Wooden Legacy, an eight-team tournament which includes Texas A&M, UCLA, Dayton, New Mexico, Virginia Tech, Portland and Cal State Northridge.
— NU Athletics —