Two of the Huskers’ non-conference games for the upcoming season were announced Wednesday evening, as Nebraska will travel to El Paso, Texas, for the 2012 WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational.
 
The four-team tournament features host UTEP, Central Michigan and Arkansas Pine Bluff, and will take place on Dec. 22-23 at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso.
 
Nebraska will take on Central Michigan in one semifinal on Dec. 22, at 10 p.m. (central) following the conclusion of the UTEP- Arkansas Pine Bluff game set for 8 p.m. The two winners will meet the following night at 8 p.m. with the third-place game slated for 6 p.m.
 
Nebraska will make its second appearance in the Sun Bowl Invitational are the first Big Ten team to participate since Northwestern in 2003. This will be the Huskers’ first appearance since a third-place showing in 1985. In that tournament, the Huskers dropped a 78-61 contest to Alabama in the semifinals before rebounding for a 69-66 win over Ohio State in the third-place game.
 
Nebraska coach Tim Miles will be participating in the Sun Bowl Invitational for the second straight year, as Colorado State won the event in 2011, defeating UTEP (56-53) and Jacksonville State (79-56).
 
The Huskers will see a familiar foe in the opener, as Nebraska will take on Central Michigan for the second straight year. Last year, the Huskers earned a 76-69 win over CMU at the Devaney Center. Central Michigan is coached by Keno Davis, who spent last season as a TV analyst for BTN, as Chippewas finished the 2011-12 season with an 11-21 mark.
 
The Sun Bowl Invitational games are the second and third non-conference games announced, as Nebraska will travel to Wake Forest for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Nov. 27.