When the Nebraska basketball team takes on Illinois on Sunday afternoon, it will be the second Top-10 team they've played this week. Smack dab in the roughest conference swing of the season, there's hope that Braden Frager, who missed the Michigan game, will be back against the Illini.
Frager injured his ankle against NU's win over the Washington Huskies. While it was thought to be a serious injury, head coach Fred Hoiberg said the day after the game that the forward was "day to day." There was even hope he'd be ready for Michigan.
However, Frager did not travel to Ann Arbor with Nebraska, and the sixth man is now considered a "game-time decision" for the contest against Illinois.
Braden Frager listed as game-time decision for Nebraska basketball vs Illinois
There is at least some hope that Frager is further along than he was on Tuesday night. Not the least of which is that some time passed between games.
On the other hand, should Frager be back for No. 5 Nebraska's game against No. 9 Illinois, he would still be ahead of what his original injury rehab timeframe was. There was some talk that he'd be out for about two weeks. It's barely been a week.
It seems unlikely that Frager's status will change before tip-off. However, Nebraska fans may get more insight depending on whether he warms up. He'll be officially listed as questionable, and the Huskers will go from there, hoping they'll have one of their best players back to play at least some minutes against one of the most challenging home opponents of the season.