Juwan Gary will not play for Nebraska vs. Lindenwood, per Fred Hoiberg

Nebraska men’s basketball junior forward Juwan Gary will miss the season opener, head coach Fred Hoiberg said on Thursday. Nebraska opens the season against Lindenwood on Monday, Nov. 6.

Gary had missed the back half of the 2022-23 season with a shoulder injury, but his current absence is unrelated. Gary had been suspended for violating team rules and missed an exhibition game.

“Juwan will not play on Monday. It’s day-to-day,” Hoiberg said.

Gary, an Alabama transfer, averaged 9.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds a game in 17 games in 2022-23 during his first season with the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska big man Rienk Mast is recovering after being attacked in Lincoln last week

According to KETV, Mast was assaulted by Nicholas DeLuca, who was an FCS All-American at North Dakota State University. Nicholas, who also goes by Nick DeLuca, played at NDSU from 2013-17. He was nominated for the Butkus Award two times during his college career.

KETV reports that DeLuca got out of his car and knocked Rienk Mast off of his scooter.

DeLuca was taken into custody for aggravated assault, while Mast was taken to a local hospital, according to KETV.

Hoiberg revealed earlier Friday that Mast was the victim of “a random act of violence” last week, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

“The authorities right now are gathering more information on the incident. That’s really all I can say about it at this time, but he will not play on Sunday,” Hoiberg said.

Mast transferred to Nebraska ahead of the 2023-24 season from Bradley after spending four years there, playing three after taking a redshirt as a freshman. Mast, a 6-foot-10 forward/center from the Netherlands, had developed into a consistent scorer for the Braves and should play a big role for the Cornhuskers in 2023-24 when healthy.

Last season, Mast earned first-team All-MVC honors after leading Bradley in scoring and rebounding. He averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23.

One player is still dealing with fallout from the Iowa gambling probe

Nebraska point guard Ahron Ulis was among seven individual charged in relation to a probe by Iowa authorities into improper sports wagering at Iowa State and Iowa Universities, respectively, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation announced in August. Ulis played for Iowa prior to transferring to Nebraska ahead of this season.

According to Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register, Ulis used a FanDuel account under the name “Anton Porter” to place bets, including some while underaged. According to documents filed by prosecutors, Ulis made 1850 bets for nearly $35,000 and did bet on NCAA basketball and at least one Iowa game.