Nebraska vs. Illinois basketball injury report, 4 February: Latest on Juwan Gary, Eli Rice and more

Nebraska (16-6, 6-5) takes on No. 14 Illinois (16-5, 7-3) on Sunday in a matchup featuring two NCAA Tournament hopefuls struggling through a challenging Big Ten season. In particular, the Cornhuskers are a veritable hospital wing of injured players. Heading into the week, the situation surrounding forward Juwan Gary was particularly significant.

Illinois has battled a few minor issues with standouts Terrence Shannon and Coleman Hawkins. But the Fighting Illini will head into their home showdown against the Huskers in relatively good shape, with only one lingering injury question.

Here's the injury situation for the two teams ahead of a significant league battle.

Nebraska Basketball Injury Report

Eli Rice

Freshman guard Eli Rice is questionable on Sunday due to an ankle injury. The 6-foot-7 guard missed Thursday's upset win over No. 6 Wisconsin and may not be available again. Rice is averaging 4.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game for the year.

Jarron Coleman

Senior guard Jarron Coleman is also questionable for Sunday's matchup due to an undisclosed issue. Coleman scored 14.3 points per game last year at Ball State but hasn't seen much action for the Cornhuskers. He averages 2.5 points and 2.4 assists per game and has only played two minutes since the end of 2023. He has had a history of foot injuries in his career.

Henry Burt

Freshman forward Henry Burt has played just six minutes this season. He has previously been listed as out with an undisclosed issue. Given his minimal playing time, it would not be shocking if Nebraska has just decided to sit Burt to enable him to claim a redshirt season.

Juwan Gary

Nebraska's Juwan Gary has battled a leg injury but should be able to play Sunday against Illinois.

The 6-foot-6 forward was listed as questionable on Nebraska's injury report heading into the Wisconsin matchup. A January leg injury caused him to miss three games. The good news was that Juwan Gary played 33 minutes in that outing, scoring nine points and collecting four rebounds. He should be good to go against Illinois on Sunday.

Illinois Injury Report

Amani Hansberry

Freshman forward Hansberry was listed as questionable heading into Tuesday's showdown with Ohio State. He did play four minutes in that outing and scored a basket. For the season, Hansberry averages 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Hansberry has battled a back injury, but presumably, he'll be good to play against the Huskers.

Have thoughts on the injury situation, the Huskers, or the Illini? Chime in below in the comments.