Fifth-ranked Nebraska was without two of its most important pieces in Tuesday night’s loss at No. 3 Michigan, as Rienk Mast (illness) and Braden Frager (ankle) were sidelined for the game.
According to head coach Fred Hoiberg, both players remain game-time decisions leading up to Sunday’s next top-10 clash at home vs. No. 9 Illinois.
Mast came down with a nasty stomach illness after the Huskers arrived in Ann Arbor on Monday night. After vomiting through the night, the senior center finally ruled himself out roughly 12 minutes before tip-off.
Frager was still recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered in NU’s home win over Washington on Jan. 21. He did not travel with the team to Michigan.
After an ER scare, Mast returned to the court on Friday
Things didn’t get much better for Mast after Nebraska returned to Lincoln late Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Mast went to the emergency room to address what Hoiberg called “severe dehydration” from not being able to keep anything down, even water. He remained at the hospital until around 2:30 a.m. on Thursday.
After plenty of IV treatment and rest, the former All-Big Ten selection returned to the court for a portion of Friday’s practice. It was exclusively non-contact work, but Hoiberg was encouraged enough to say Mast had a chance to rejoin the lineup vs. Illinois.
“We took him through the very early non-contact portion of our practice,” Hoiberg said. “So, we went through stations and got up and down a little bit in some non-contact drills, did some shooting drills, and then got him off the floor.
“So, if he responds well the rest of the day and has a good day (on Saturday), we anticipate him being out there Sunday, not knowing exactly what he’s going to be able to give us. Obviously, he’s lost a ton of weight. He’s still very weak, but it was good to see him back in the gym today.”
Frager’s recovery is ahead of schedule, but his return remains TBD
When Frager initially suffered a low ankle sprain against Washington, Nebraska’s trainers projected a recovery timeframe of around 2-4 weeks. Now nine days since the injury, the standout wing is close to returning to action.
Hoiberg said Frager went through about half of Friday’s practice. Depending on how the redshirt freshman responds over the next couple of days, he, too, has a chance to rejoin the lineup as soon as Sunday.
“We got him out about halfway through (practice), but it was good to get him some live reps,” Hoiberg said. “We’ll see how he responds to it. When we initially saw the sprain, we thought it was going to be two to four weeks. We’re eight days out now. So, we’ll see how he responds to the work he did today and then make a decision on Sunday.”