When the Nebraska basketball team tips off at 11am against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, they'll be doing it without star sixth-man Braden Frager.
Since Frager went down after playing just four minutes in the Huskers' win over Washington earlier this week, there's been plenty of wondering and worrying about when he'll return to play. The good news in that regard is that he's not out for the season, listed officially as "day-to-day" with an ankle sprain.
On Saturday morning, Nebraska listed Braden Frager on its official injury report as "out." The development is hardly surprising given that he suffered an ankle sprain just a few days ago. Still, some Husker fans were holding out hope.
Not exactly a surprise, but Braden Frager is not playing today for Nebraska vs Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/y9ENbsjC7g
— Oliver VanDervoort (@itmeolliev) January 24, 2026
Braden Frager is out for Nebraska basketball vs Minnesota
The development means that the Cornhuskers will not only have to overcome a Golden Gophers team that is solid if unspectacular, but also overcome the loss of the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week. The additional worry is that Frager plays with a great deal of energy, and it will be interesting to see how NU generates its own energy at Minnesota.
Minnesota started its Big Ten schedule by winning three of its first four conference games. However, the Gophers have now fallen to 3-5 in the B1G after four straight losses.
Despite the recent slide, Nebraska can't afford to take Minny lightly. Of those four losses, only one was by double digits (a 10-point loss to Illinois), and two were one-possession games.
Guard Cade Tyson will be the biggest problem for Nebraska as he enters Saturday morning's game averaging 20.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.