Northwestern Receives Mid-Season Basketball Tournament Scheduling News
Northwestern is still months away from the 2025-26 season, and while the schedule is largely still unknown, the Wildcats found out some big non-conference news on Tuesday.
In April, NU was announced as one of four participants in the Greenbrier Tip-Off, along with Butler, Virginia and South Carolina. The tournament is set to be held in the week leading up to Thanksgiving in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Northwestern will first face off against Virginia on Friday, November 21. The two last met in 2007, when the Cavaliers claimed a 94-52 win over Bill Carmody's 'Cats in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Virginia went just 15-17 (8-12 ACC) last season after Tony Bennett's October retirement and will look to bounce back under new head coach Ryan Odom. The Cavaliers are 3-0 all-time against Northwestern.
The Wildcats will then take on South Carolina for the first time in program history on Sunday, November 23. The Gamecocks reached the NCAA Tournament in 2024 as a No. 6 seed, but finished last in the SEC in 2025 after a 12-20 (2-16 SEC) campaign.
All four of the weekend's games are set to air live on CBS Sports Network.
Mountain State Matchups 🌄
— Northwestern Basketball (@NUMensBball) June 17, 2025
🗓️ Friday, Nov. 21
↳ 🆚 Virginia
🗓️ Sunday, Nov. 23
↳ 🆚 South Carolina pic.twitter.com/LwBiU5C8yr
Northwestern will not play Butler at the Greenbrier Tip-Off, instead opting to travel to Indianapolis a month later for a matchup on December 20. The Bulldogs defeated Northwestern last season after a potential lead-taking four-point play from Brooks Barnhizer was waved off, handing the 'Cats a 71-69 loss in Arizona.
The Wildcats' 17 wins in 2024-25 were the most among any of the four competing teams at the Greenbrier.
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Gavin Dorsey is the Lead Writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.