Braxton Meah injury update: Fred Hoiberg explains Nebraska center missing FDU game

Braxton Meah was a late scratch for Nebraska ahead of Wednesday night’s game against Fairleigh Dickinson.

Following the 86-60 win last night for the Cornhuskers, Fred Hoiberg addressed Meah’s status due to an ankle injury. Swelling made him a questionable designation and coaches opted to be cautious with it by sitting Meah out against the Knights.

“Yeah, he’s got some swelling in there,” Hoiberg said postgame. “He probably could have given us a few minutes but we just didn’t want to take any chances. We’re obviously going to need him as we continue on. Just wanted to play it smart. We didn’t want him going out and tweaking it and then it becomes a problem down the road.”

Through two games with Nebraska, Meah had averaged 4.5 points, four rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 50% from the field. He has done that after transferring in as the No. 299 overall player per On3’s 2024 Top Transfer Portal Players alongside the No. 5 portal class with six total additions to it in Lincoln.

This is Meah’s fifth collegiate season after two apiece at Fresno State and Washington. He has career averages of 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds on 72% overall shooting through that time in 120 games.

However, with Meah’s absence, the ‘Huskers were able to use some different rotations in the 26-point win. Hoiberg liked them too with what he saw, especially with them going smaller without their center at 7-foot-1.

“You know, again, it gave us a chance to play some other lineups,” said Hoiberg. “I really did like that small lineup that was out there, whether it was Cale (Jacobsen) or Juwan (Gary) playing the five. Brice (Williams) kind of handled it in the middle. We got in a little bit of a split game but I like the way that looked. So, you know, different things will happen over the course of the season.”

Nebraska will play again on Sunday in a matchup with Saint Mary’s in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That gives the end of the week to Meah to be ready for tip-off against the Gaels or to the Cornhuskers to prepare with their other options.

“Hopefully, we’ll get Braxton back for the weekend,” said Hoiberg. “We’re playing against a lot of size and toughness. We’re going to need him but, you know, it was good to see other guys step up.”