Nebraska’s frontcourt took a major hit earlier this week, and it showed in a narrow 75-72 road loss to No. 3 Michigan. The fifth-ranked Huskers were without their starting center Rienk Mast, who was sidelined by a tough bout of illness that left him severely dehydrated and ultimately sent him to the emergency room.
Mast, the 6-foot-10 senior who’s been a cornerstone for Fred Hoiberg’s squad, made the trip to Ann Arbor with the team and tried everything he could to suit up. But after a rough night of vomiting and little to no sleep, it was clear on Tuesday that he just didn’t have it in him.
“He gave himself every opportunity to be out there,” Hoiberg said Friday. “He got out and stretched, got a couple shots up, and he had nothing in the tank.”
The illness, which Hoiberg described as a different strand of the flu, hit Mast hard. So hard, in fact, that he couldn’t even keep water down.
The staff made the call not to risk his health by putting him on the floor against Michigan. After the team returned to Lincoln, Mast’s condition hadn’t improved, and by Wednesday he was in the ER with severe dehydration.
He received IV fluids and got back home around 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
The good news? He’s trending in the right direction.
Mast felt better by Friday morning, well enough to rejoin the team for film study and go through the non-contact portion of practice. That included some light shooting and station work - a positive step, but still a far cry from full game shape.
Hoiberg said Mast will likely be listed as questionable for Sunday’s highly anticipated top-10 showdown against No. 9 Illinois in Lincoln.
“If he responds well the rest of the day and has a good day tomorrow, we anticipate him being out there Sunday,” Hoiberg said. “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.
It was good to see him back in the gym today.”
The Huskers are also dealing with other health concerns. Ugnius Jaruševičius, who’s only appeared in one game this season due to a back injury, won’t be available Sunday either - this time due to the flu. He’s staying home as the team tries to prevent further spread of the illness.
“We’re all battling some form of it,” Hoiberg said. “But Rienk, whatever he got was nasty.”
There’s also cautious optimism surrounding redshirt freshman Braden Frager, who’s working his way back from an ankle injury. Originally expected to miss two to four weeks, Frager could be ahead of schedule. If he plays Sunday, it would mark just 10 days since the injury - a quick turnaround by any measure.
“He was back on the court today for a portion of the contact drills,” Hoiberg said. “He went through stations yesterday and did a little bit of work on the floor today.
We got him out about halfway through, but it was good to get him some live reps. We’ll see how he responds to it.”
If Mast and Frager aren’t ready to go, Nebraska will likely roll with the same lineup they used against Michigan. That means Cale Jacobsen stepping into the starting five, with Jared Garcia and Leo Curtis providing depth off the bench.
Curtis, a freshman 7-footer, made the most of his 13 minutes in Ann Arbor, scoring six points and giving the Huskers some much-needed size and energy in the paint. With Mast’s status still up in the air, Curtis could be called on again to play meaningful minutes in a game that carries major Big Ten implications.
Sunday’s matchup is a big one - and Nebraska’s frontcourt health could be the swing factor.