Nebraska basketball injury updates: Fred Hoiberg shares status on multiple Huskers

A new-look Nebraska team tips off its season Monday against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The Cornhuskers might not be at full strength.

Head coach Fred Hoiberg provided an update on a few Huskers players when he met with the media before the weekend.

Sam Hoiberg, a junior point guard, was back on the court for the first time Friday and, according to his head coach and father, “was pretty limited out there.”

“He’s still a little bit of ways from being ready to be in a game,” Fred said. “We’ve got two more practices before opening night and the end of shootaround, so it’ll probably be all the way up to a game-time decision for Sam, whether we throw him out there early. If he does play, I don’t know how much he’ll play.”

Sam Hoiberg averaged 19.7 minutes for a Huskers team that went 23-11 last year and finished tied for third in the Big Ten table. He posted 3.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals per contest.

Fred Hoiberg also noted that senior forward and North Dakota State transfer Andrew Morgan went through the non-contact portion of Friday’s practice.

“He is still in the concussion protocol, so we’ll see how he responds later this afternoon and, more importantly, tomorrow, see if we can get another day and then continue on with the steps in the protocol that he’s had,” Hoiberg said.

Morgan became a two-year starter at NDSU, and last season he got the nod in 29-of-32 games, averaging 12.9 points per game on 56% shooting, not to mention his 5.0 rebounds per outing. He earned second-team All-Summit League honors.

Hoiberg went on to say that senior forward Juwan Gary has had the flu the last couple days but returned to the court Friday. Hoiberg said he anticipates Gary being fine for Monday night’s opener. Gary spent the first three seasons of his career at Alabama, and he’s going on his third year with the Huskers. He was fourth on the team with 11.6 points per game last season, plus second among all Huskers players in 2023-24 with 6.1 rebounds per outing.

As of now, Nebraska’s rotation is fluid.

“As I talk to the guys, it’s not going to be the same guy every night,” Hoiberg said. “I think this is a team that’s very capable of having a different guy go out there. We’re probably going to finish with different lineups, ultimately, until we figure out who our best group is to close out games and play in crunch time. But, again, I really like the competitive spirit of this group.”

Last season, the Huskers made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013-14. Although they bowed out in the first round to Texas A&M, their return to The Dance was one of the better stories of the 2024-25 college basketball season.

This year, however, Nebraska is tied for 12th in the preseason Big Ten Media Poll, which is put together annually by The Columbus Dispatch and The Indianapolis Star. The Huskers look different, namely without established guards Keisei Tominaga and C.J. Wilcher.

That said, Nebraska did bring back three of its top-five scorers: Gary and fellow frontcourt standout Rienk Mast, as well as guard Brice Williams.

Plus, the Huskers added seven players from the transfer portal. That group includes four players who were already in the Big Ten: guard Connor Essegian (Wisconsin), forward Berke Buyuktuncel (UCLA), center Braxton Meah (Washington) and guard Gavin Griffiths (Rutgers).

The last time Nebraska made the NCAA Tournament back-to-back years was 1993-94. The Huskers are still searching for their first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.