7/23/2020 basketball Edit

Thorbjarnarson, Ouedraogo returning to Nebraska this week

Nebraska basketball freshman Yvan Ouedraogo (above) and senior Thorir Thorbjarnarson will both be back in Lincoln by the end of the week. (Associated Press)

Robin Washut • InsideNebraska

Senior Writer

Robin has been with HuskerOnline since July of 2008, focusing on Nebraska football team coverage as well as being the No. 1 Husker men's basketball team and recruiting writer.

The wait is finally about over for Nebraska basketball to have two important pieces of its 2020-21 roster back in Lincoln, as senior guard Thorir Thorbjarnarson and sophomore forward Yvan Ouedraogo will both be back on campus by the end of this week.

A source close to the program told HuskerOnline.com that Thorbjarnarson returned to Nebraska on Wednesday from his native Iceland, and Ouedraogo is set to arrive on Friday from his native France.

Both players will have to quarantine on campus for 72 hours before joining any team activities. Thorbjarnarson is expected to start working with the rest of the Huskers by Monday, while Ouedraogo should be cleared to begin by Wednesday.

After going back to their home countries following the end of last season, Thorbjarnarson and Ouedraogo were left waiting on their returns to America after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in heavy international travel restrictions around the world.

The good news for Nebraska was that Thorbjarnarson and Ouedraogo were the only two returning starters from last season's squad, so if any current NU players could afford to miss some summer workouts, it would be them.

They also both had ample access to first-class training facilities in their home countries, with Ouedraogo able to shed nearly 25 pounds off of his previous 260-pound frame since March.

Thorbjarnarson averaged 10.6 points per game in conference play as a junior and finished in the top four on the team overall in field goal percentage (.452, 2nd), 3-point percentage (.372, 1st), rebounding (4.8, 2nd) and assists (1.3, 4th).

The first NU true freshman to start a season opener since 2013, Ouedraogo started 30 of 32 games and set a school record for rebounds by a Husker freshman with 203 at a team-high average of 6.3 per game.