One of Thanksgiving's traditional matchups moves to the hardwood this November, as Nebraska will face Oklahoma in the opening round of the ESPN Events Invitational.
 
Nebraska will face Oklahoma at 4 p.m. (central) at the HP Fieldhouse on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex just outside Orlando. The game will be carried by ESPN and also the Huskers Radio Network.
 
The matchup between the Huskers and Sooners will be the first in men's basketball between the two schools since February of 2011.  Oklahoma holds a 104-83 in the all-time series, as the two programs were conference rivals from 1921 until 2011, when Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference.
 
Under the direction of Porter Moser, Oklahoma went 19-16 and reached the second round of the National Invitational Tournament in 2022. The Sooners return a pair of starters from that team in forwards Tannner Groves (11.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Jalen Hill (9.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
 
All three teams on Nebraska's side of the bracket played in the postseason last season, as Memphis and ­Seton Hall are the other teams on NU's side of the eight-team bracket.  The Huskers will play either Memphis or Seton Hall on Friday with the start time and TV information determined by the results of the first games in Orlando.
 
Memphis went 22-11 and lost to Gonzaga in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, while Seton Hall was 21-11 and lost to TCU in its opening-round matchup.  The remainder of the eight-team field includes Florida State, Ole Miss, Siena and Stanford.
 
The 2022 ESPN Events Invitational will feature 12 games over the three days in a bracket-style competition. Ticket information and travel packages will be announced later this summer. Fans can sign up on the event website for a pre-sale to guarantee first access and a $10 discount on all price levels.
 
The Huskers return two of their top four scorers for fourth-year Head Coach Fred Hoiberg. Senior forward Derrick Walker (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) has started 48 straight games for the Huskers since becoming eligible in January of 2021, while sophomore guard C.J. Wilcher (8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 52 3-pointers) was the Huskers' sixth man for most of the 2021-22 season. Junior guard Keisei Tominaga started 11 games in his first season at NU and averaged 5.7 ppg. He comes off a stint playing with the Japanese Senior National Team this summer.
 
NU has retooled its roster with a trio of Division I transfers in Emmanuel Bandoumel (SMU), Juwan Gary (Alabama) and Sam Griesel (North Dakota State) and a recruiting class that ranked in the top 30 nationally by both Rivals and 247Sports. That group includes a pair of top-150 recruits in Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence as well as junior college transfer Blaise Keita, who is the No. 4 overall player by JUCORecruiting.com.
 
The first-round game with Oklahoma is the fifth high major game on the Huskers' 2022-23 non-conference slate. NU will also play road or neutral-site games at St. John's, vs. Kansas State and at Creighton as well as hosting Boston College in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. 

ESPN Events Invitational (Nov. 24-27)
Thursday, Nov. 24
Florida State vs Siena (ESPN2), 10 a.m.
Mississippi vs Stanford (ESPNU), 12:30 p.m.
Oklahoma vs Nebraska (ESPN), 4 p.m.
 Memphis vs Seton Hall (ESPNEWS), 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 25
Semifinal #1 (ESPN2), 10 a.m.
Consolation #1 (ESPN+), 12:30 p.m.
Consolation #2 (ESPNEWS), 4 p.m.
Semifinal #2 (ESPN2), 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 27
Fifth-Place Game (ESPNU), 10 a.m.
Championship Game (ESPN), 12:30 p.m.
Third-Place Game (ESPN2), 4 p.m.
Seventh-Place Game (ESPNEWS), 6:30 p.m.

Buschini Named to Ray Guy Award Watch List

Nebraska's Brian Buschini was one of 49 punters nationally named to the preseason watch list for the 2022 Ray Guy Award, announced on Wednesday. The Ray Guy Award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate punter in the FBS.

Buschini is in his first season at Nebraska after transferring from FCS Montana. He was named the 2021 FCS Punter of the Year and a first-team All-American for the Griz. Buschini played in 15 games in his Montana career, averaging 45.8 yards on 75 career punts. He had 30 punts of 50 yards or longer with the Griz, while placing 35 of his punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line.

As the top FCS punter in 2021, Buschini ranked third nationally with a school-record average of 46.0 yards per punt while helping the Griz lead the country in net punting. Of his 69 punts a year ago, 30 were downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line and 28 covered 50 yards or more.

Huskers on Preseason Watch Lists
Ethan Piper, Allstate Good Works Team
Luke Reimer, Butkus Award
Ochaun Mathis, Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Brian Buschini, Ray Guy Award

Mathis Named to Nagurski Trophy Watch List

Nebraska edge rusher Ochaun Mathis was one of 85 players nationally named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list announced Tuesday. The Nagurski Trophy is presented annually to the nation's defensive player of the year.

Mathis will play his first season for the Huskers this fall after spending the last four years at TCU. He played in 38 games with the Horned Frogs and started all 34 contests over the last three seasons. In his TCU career, Mathis recorded 135 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks with four pass breakups.

Mathis was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in both 2020 and 2021. This summer, he was recognized by On3 as the top edge rusher transfer in the country. Last season at TCU, Mathis started all 12 games and totaled 45 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss. 

He had a breakout 2020 campaign for the Horned Frogs, starting all 10 games in the pandemic-shortened season. Mathis led the Big 12 and ranked 12th nationally in sacks per game, averaging nearly 1.0 sack per game with nine sacks in 10 games. He totaled 46 tackles in 2020 with 14.0 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Mathis started all 12 games of the 2019 season, finishing with 40 tackles, 9.0 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. He played in four games and totaled three tackles and a half-tackle for loss in 2018, when he redshirted.

Mathis is the second Blackshirt to be recognized as a candidate for a major national award in as many days, as linebacker Luke Reimer was named to the Butkus Award watch list on Monday.

Nebraska Announces Two Football Ticket Mini Plans

Nebraska Athletics announced Tuesday the launch of two new football ticket mini plans for the upcoming season. The ticket plans are available now at Huskers.com/tickets.
 
The first plan is the "OU + 2 Mini Plan" and includes tickets to all three of Nebraska's non-conference games against North Dakota, Georgia Southern and Oklahoma. The $270 ticket plan includes one ticket to the matchup against Oklahoma on Sept. 17, and two tickets to the Huskers' home opener against North Dakota on Sept. 3 and the Sept. 10 matchup with Georgia Southern.
 
Nebraska is also now offering a "Big Ten Mini Plan" which includes tickets to each of the four Big Ten games at Memorial Stadium. The $200 package includes one ticket to games against Indiana (Oct. 1), Illinois (Oct. 29), Minnesota (Nov. 5) and Wisconsin (Nov. 19).
 
Seating locations for both of the ticket packages are located in the North and South end zones. Single-game tickets for all games except Oklahoma are also available online.

Christopulos and Phillips to Compete in the U.S. Classic

Nebraska men's gymnasts Taylor Christopulos and Sam Phillips are set to compete at the inaugural U.S. Men's Classic in Salt Lake Valley, Utah this Sunday, July 31. 

Christopulos and Phillips will join nearly 150 gymnasts from around the country, including multiple Olympians and World medalists, at the Maverik Center. The two Huskers are set to compete in the second men's session on Sunday, starting at 7:30 p.m. (CT). FlipNow Powered by USA Gymnastics will livestream the men's session Sunday on FlipNow.tv. 

Christopulos will enter his junior year at Nebraska this year. The Layton, Utah, native claimed two individual titles on vault while being named an Academic All-Big Ten selection during the 2022 season. He helped the Huskers to a second-place conference finish and a fourth-place national finish. In 2021, Christopulos was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the Nebraska Athletics Outstanding Male Newcomer. He was a four-time NCAA Rookie of the Week and a three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Christopulos earned All-America honors while helping NU to a fourth-place finish at the 2021 NCAA Championships. 

Phillips will enter his senior season at Nebraska this year. The Woodland Hills, Calif., native earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors during the 2022 season after finishing sixth in the all-around competition at the Big Ten Championships. He claimed five individual titles last year and was named an Academic All-Big Ten Selection and a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. In 2021, he earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after claiming the Big Ten bronze medal on high bar. Phillips has earned the Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award and is a six-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. 

The U.S. Classic marks the final opportunity for athletes to qualify for the 2022 U.S. Gymnastics Championships which is set to take place in Tampa, Fla., in August. 

Podium training throughout the weekend will stream live on USA Gymnastics' YouTube Channel. Christopulos and Phillips are set to practice on Friday, July 29 at 11 a.m. (CT).