Nebraska women’s basketball will have its hands full at Pinnacle Bank Arena in the 2026-27 season.
The Big Ten Conference announced the full list of home and away opponents for the 2026-27 season for all conference teams on Monday. The announcement paired with the reveal of the existing 18-game conference schedule as Big Ten teams will maintain the same double-plays from last season’s format. Teams will also play the return games of their home and away matchups from last season.
Nebraska’s 2026-27 home conference slate features eight teams that advanced in postseason action from last year, including seven programs that won a contest in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers can be included in that category, as Nebraska is coming off of a third NCAA Tournament appearance in the past four seasons, including an NCAA First Four win over Richmond 75-56 this past season. Dates, tip-off times, and television designations have not yet been set by the conference for the Big Ten games.
Nebraska’s nine-game Big Ten home slate includes double-play action against Iowa as the Huskers will take on the Hawkeyes in a home-and-away series. Iowa advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament this past season and finished second in the conference at 15-3 in Big Ten play.
The Huskers will also take on NCAA Tournament teams Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, and Washington at Pinnacle Bank Arena this upcoming season. The Spartans, Buckeyes, Ducks, and Huskies all earned a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament last season, while Minnesota was a Sweet Sixteen qualifier. Michigan’s run ended in the Elite Eight.
The other Big Ten home matchups in Lincoln for Nebraska include a tilt against Wisconsin, as the Badgers finished the 2026-27 season winning three games in the WBIT to advance to the tournament’s semifinal round. The final matchup includes a visit from Penn State, as the Nittany Lions were 4-14 in the conference last year.
Nebraska’s road tests feature a West Coast road trip to Los Angeles as the Huskers take on defending national champion UCLA while also taking on another NCAA Tournament first-round winner at USC. The Huskers will again take on Iowa in Iowa City to complete the double-play series, while facing Illinois, Maryland, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, and Rutgers in true road tilts in Big Ten Conference action.
Of Nebraska’s nine road games, five teams finished in the top half of Big Ten Conference action from last year, including conference regular season champion UCLA, Iowa, Maryland, Illinois, and USC. Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, and Rutgers finished a combined 14-58 in the Big Ten last season. The Huskers’ critical tests will likely come on its home court, as only Penn State finished below .500 in the conference from last season in Nebraska’s Big Ten home contests this upcoming season.
It will be a slightly new-look Nebraska team from a season ago, but a strong core returns to push the Huskers past the first round of the NCAA Tournament. All-Big Ten First-Team star Britt Prince returns to lead Nebraska once again, as she’s joined by Natalie Potts, Logan Nissley, and Amiah Hargrove. Kennadi Wiliams, Emily Fischer, and graduate senior Allison Weidner are all set to return as well, as the Huskers had to replace four players from the transfer portal this offseason.
The Huskers lost Jessica Petrie, Petra Bozan, Claire Johnson, and Alanna Neale to the transfer portal, but the Huskers plan to replenish their roster with young incoming talent as four-star freshman Ashlyn Koupal and Ava Miles from the 2026 recruitment class could provide an immediate spark for the Big Red. Koupal is a top-rated prospect as the No. 11 recruit in the country, while Miles is a top-75 recruit.
Additionally, Nebraska added much-needed height to the roster in Auburn transfer Arek Angui. The 6-9 redshirt sophomore center announced her commitment to the Huskers in late April, providing a raw but lengthy player to aid in Nebraska’s defensive needs. At 6-9, Angui becomes the Huskers’ tallest player by a significant margin, surpassing the mantle previously held in a two-way tie by senior Edessa Noyan and incoming freshman Ashlyn Koupal at 6-3. Angui is also one of the tallest players in women’s college basketball. The title of the tallest player in women’s college basketball belongs to Texas Tech’s Stephanie Okechukwu, standing at 7-1.
Nebraska women’s basketball has yet to officially announce a non-conference schedule for the upcoming season. The Huskers struggled to find major college basketball non-conference foes last year, battling Northwestern State, Samford, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, Purdue University Fort Wayne, Bradley, Omaha, Illinois State, and Cal Baptist in non-conference action. The Huskers also renewed their annual in-state rivalry with Creighton and took down Virginia as part of the Emerald Coast Classic championship contest.
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