Nebraska men’s basketball will have to try to end the 10 game losing streak down another player.
Senior Matej Kavas played just over a minute Saturday against Wisconsin before walked to the bench and asking for a sub. Kavas was looked at by the trainers courtside before exiting through the tunnel. He returned to the bench for the second half but his entire left hand had been taped.
“It’s a soft tissue injury,” said Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg after the game. “It’s a ligament injury. He’ll get an MRI on Monday. Not exactly sure what the extent of it is at this point. He got an x-ray after the game, but the initial diagnosis was a soft tissue injury with a ligament in his left hand.”
Kavas took to twitter in the early morning hours Sunday to share the news.
— Matej Kavaš (@MatejKavas) February 16, 2020
“unfortunately my college career ended early due to hand injury. I felt like I still had things to prove for this year and was feeling currently in a great basketball shape. However, I am extremely proud of the individual and team success I had throughout my entire college career. Thank you Nebraska for the opportunity this year and thanks to all the fans for the amazing support. I’ll do my best to support my guys on the bench thru the rest of the season. #GBR #Nebraska”
“It is disappointing to see Matej’s college career end because of an injury,” said Hoiberg in a Sunday release. “Matej was one of the first players to commit to Nebraska when we started last spring. He believed he could help set the foundation for our program even though he had one season to play. Everyone in our program appreciates Matej, and we look forward to him having a full recovery and getting the opportunity to continue playing after college.”
Kavas was a graduate transfer for his final season after making a reputation as a 3-point sharp shooter at Seattle. He shot 40-percent or better from deep during his three years on the west coast.
During his short Nebraska tenure, Kavas averaged 5.5 points a game while shooting 33.8-percent from beyond the arc.
After not playing for a few games as a coach’s decision, Kavas was starting to make an impact again off the bench. He average 8.3 points over the final three games before the injury while shooting 45.5-percent from deep.
The Huskers were already shorthanded this season, with transfers Shamiel Stevenson, Derrick Walker, and Dalano Banton all sitting out. Freshman Jace Piatkowski and Bret Porter are both redshirting this season.
That leaves a nine-man rotation that includes four freshman: Akol Arop, Kevin Cross, Yvan Ouedraogo, and Charlie Easley.
Nebraska has six games remaining in the regular season, beginning with Michigan State February 20.
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