Nebraska’s Rienk Mast Named One of College Basketball's ‘Breakout Stars' by ESPN

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast ranks 11th in an ESPN list of 25 college basketball breakout stars this season.

ESPN is correct about Mast. He is uniquely talented. He can dominate inside and can step outside and shoot from distance with accuracy and timeliness.

Mast fits comfortably on a Nebraska team known for its ball movement and unselfishness on offense, and a switching and swarming defense. Mast often gets a touch on many Nebraska possessions, and can pass it as deftly as he can shoot it.

His scoring average isn’t setting off fireworks (13.7 points per game), because the Huskers rely on a balanced offense. Mast is the second-leading scorer behind Pryce Sandfort, and is one of four players who average in double figures — and a fifth, Sam Hoiberg, averages 9.5 points per game.

Freshman forward Braden Frager has proved to be a major contributor — mostly off the bench — in this historic Huskers season.

Mast, a senior from the Groningen, Netherlands, is the tower inside, at 6-foot-10, on the boards as the Huskers’ leading rebounder, and creating an inside diversion on defense along with forward Berke Buyuktuncel.

Mast’s numbers:

* 13.7 points per game
* 44.7 field goal shooting
* 32.3 three point shooting
* 82.4 free throw shooting
* 6.6 rebounds per game
* 3.1 assists per game
* 0.3 blocks per game
* 0.4 steals per game
* 1.8 turnovers per game

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf ranked what he called the “25 men’s college basketball breakout stars in 2025-26.”

Medcalf acknowledged this season has more than its share of top-flight freshmen and transfers.

Medcalf’s criteria: “We’ve identified 25 breakout stars to know — players who have bounced back from injuries, returnees who have made significant strides with the same program, and prospects who weren’t projected to have the immediate impacts they have had in their first seasons of Division I basketball.”

Two other Big Ten players were cited by ESPN: Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (4), and Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler (23).

Impactful finish to Huskers’ season

The 12th-ranked Huskers (25-4, 14-4) play at UCLA (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten, 16-1 at Pauley Pavilion) on Tuesday night (10 p.m. CT, FS1) before closing their regular season Sunday at home against Iowa (4 p.m. CT, Fox).

These are two crucial games for the Huskers to maintain their spot among the top four teams in the conference, which would earn a triple bye for the Big Ten Tournament. The Huskers currently are projected to be a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN Bracketology.

Medcalf wrote about Mast: “Mast sat out the 2023-24 season [narrator: Mast missed the 2024-25 season] because of a knee injury before returning this season to lead Nebraska’s historic 20-0 start. The 6-foot-10 center has demonstrated that few big men in America can match his well-rounded game: He is top-three in points (13.8), rebounds (6.1) and assists (3.1) for the Cornhuskers.”

Mast didn’t play in Nebraska’s loss at No. 3 Michigan on Jan. 27 due to a stomach bug. He wound up in the ER with severe dehydration. It was the Huskers’ first loss.

“Rienk’s a warrior,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said in a news conference when Mast was ill. “The fact that he even was out there, two days later [after] being in the emergency room shows you the type of character and the type of player that he is, to even give it a go.”

Once the NCAA Tournament gets here, Mast’s value will be center stage. Every big thing and every little thing are magnified in the NCAA Tournament, when a team’s magnificent season can end in a 40 painful minutes.

Overcoming the nerves that come naturally in a big game, or in the NCAAs, often falls on veteran players. When the inevitable pressure arrives, a strong, steady presence like Mast can soothe the nerves, calm down the pulse rates, and keep the Huskers on track.

And he can get you that clutch rebound when the Huskers absolutely need it, or nail a huge three-ball. When Nebraska has struggled this season, it was hurt on the boards. Mast will be needed to step up and neutralize an opponent’s advantage.

NCAA experience

Mast was a major player on the Huskers’ last NCAA team in 2024. He started 32 games and averaged 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as the Huskers won 23 games.

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast handles the ball vs. Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament first-round game in 2024. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Mast has scored in double figures in 19 games this season, with a season-high of 31 vs. Winthrop in November. He has scored 17 or more points in 11 games. When an opponent shuts down a Nebraska possession, Mast’s size allows him to launch a shot over pressure defense.

As a projected 3-seed, Nebraska would play a 14-seed in the NCAA’s first round. The current 14-seeds are: Austin Peay, Navy, East Tennessee State and Stephen F. Austin. They might sound like easy pickings, but in the NCAA Tournament, historically, very little comes easy. Nebraska is 0-8 in the NCAA Tournament, the only power conference team without a NCAA win.

Should Nebraska advance to the second round, it would play a 6 vs. 11 winner. The current 6-seeds look more formidable than the 14-seeds: Louisville, North Carolina, Villanova and BYU.

Tougher competition means the need for a corresponding response. That’s when Mast and his teammates will determine how far this Nebraska team goes in March.

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