Nebraska forward Rienk Mast assaulted on campus, will miss Cornhuskers exhibition

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast is out for the Cornhuskers exhibition game against Doane on Sunday after he was the victim of “a random act of violence” last week, head coach Fred Hoiberg said on Friday. Mast was apparently attacked near the university’s main Lincoln campus on Oct. 19, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Mast was reportedly riding a scooter just before 10 p.m. local time when he was attacked by a 28-year-old man, per a probably cause affidavit. Mast’s attacker was subsequently arrested and has been charged with third-degree assault and resisting arrest.

Mast was hospitalized after suffering apparent facial injuries.

“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 feature for the Cornhuskers in 2023-24.

One Nebraska 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.

Each of the seven accused are facing one count of “Tampering with Records” related to the investigation, a misdemeanor. Ulis was charged in Johnson County, Iowa, along with two others.

The other four individuals were charged in Story County, Iowa, which includes Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers.

Ulis was not playing for Nebraska on its overseas trip during the summer for reasons that Hoiberg did not disclose.

“We’re gathering information on a situation that Ahron is dealing with and right now that’s all I can say about that matter,” Hoiberg said to reporters.

Ulis is the younger brother of former Kentucky star guard Tyler Ulis.