IOWA CITY — Saint Mary’s transfer Drew McKeever is still yet to make his Iowa basketball debut.
He was unavailable for Iowa basketball’s matchup with Eastern Illinois on Nov. 6, meaning that he missed the first two games of the 2026-27 season due to a back injury.
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McKeever took part in pregame warmups against Lipscomb before ultimately being ruled out. But McKeever wasn’t in uniform and did not participate in pregame warmups prior to the contest against Eastern Illinois.
“He’s progressing,” McCollum said of McKeever after Iowa’s 91-47 win over Eastern Illinois. “We did think he was going to play (against Eastern Illinois). He just kind of had some more spasms in his back a little bit yesterday. So, we’re hopeful that it turns, but I think backs are tricky. One day he can feel good, and the next day, it’s awful. So we’re hopeful, because he’s really good. In practice, he was as dominant as we’ve had. So, we’ll see if we can get him back.”
Even without McKeever, Iowa been getting frontcourt production. Trevin Jirak has been very good so far this season and flirted with a triple-double against Eastern Illinois, posting eight points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
But the 7-foot-3 McKeever would give Iowa another dimension. McKeever was a big-time addition from the transfer portal this offseason. He averaged 8.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists at Saint Mary’s last season.
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Iowa’s schedule is about to heat up. The Hawkeyes are now set to face three power-conference opponents in a row: Virginia Tech, Creighton and Xavier. That stretch begins with Virginia Tech on Nov. 10 in Sioux City.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at TTachman@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: The latest injury update on Iowa basketball’s Drew McKeever
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