Huskers to Play in 2025 Hall of Fame Classic
Huskers to Join Kansas State, Mississippi State and New Mexico in Kansas City this November
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Nebraska will return to Kansas City this fall, as the Huskers will participate in the 2025 Hall of Fame Classic. The 2025 edition takes place on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 20-21 at the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City.
The 2025 Hall of Fame Classic will mark the event’s 25th year of operation in Kansas City, and will return to its traditional two-day, four-team bracketed format. Semifinal round matchups, game times, broadcast details and ticket information will be announced at a later date.
The Huskers will be making their first appearance in the event since 2018, when they lost to eventual NCAA runner-up Texas Tech in the title game. Kansas State is making its first appearance in the event since 2021, while Mississippi State and New Mexico will each be competing in the event for the first time in their respective program histories.
Mississippi State and New Mexico both earned NCAA Tournament bids last season – with the Lobos advancing to the second round – while Nebraska won the championship of the inaugural College Basketball Crown postseason event. Kansas State finished the season ranked 36th in the nation in adjusted efficiency.
Nebraska returns five letterwinners from a team that went 21-14 in 2024-25. The group includes returning starters Berke Büyüktuncel and Sam Hoiberg, along with Connor Essegian, who averaged 10.7 ppg off the bench last season. Nebraska also returns senior Rienk Mast, who earned third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023-24 before missing last season with an injury. The Huskers will welcome a transfer class which is currently ranked in the top-20 in the On3 Transfer Portal Index.
The Hall of Fame Classic is operated by the Kansas City-based National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). More information on the event can be found at nabc.com/classic.
Thursday’s announcement is the first regular-season games announced for the 2025-26 season. NU announced that the Huskers will host BYU in an exhibition game at Pinnacle Bank Arena the weekend of Oct. 17-18.