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Fran McCaffery updates the availability of Kris Murray, Connor McCaffery vs Nebraska

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•12/28/22•

AndrewEdGraham

On3 image
NEWARK, NJ - NOVEMBER 16: Connor McCaffery #30 of the Iowa Hawkeyes talks to his head coach and father, Fran McCaffery, during the game against the Seton Hall Pirates at Prudential Center on November 16, 2022 in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Porter Binks/Getty Images)

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery updated the status of a pair of key players on Wednesday, indicating that both Kris Murray and Connor McCaffery — one of his sons — will be available to play against Nebraska on Thursday evening.

Murray, one of the best players in the Big Ten, has been out since early December with a foot injury. Getting him back would be a boon for Iowa, as he’s their leading scorer and rebounder with 19.4 points and 10.1 boards per game.

The Hawkeyes struggled during the stretch without Murray, going 2-3 and suffering a bad loss to Eastern Illinois on Dec. 21.

McCaffery missed that game after suffering a sprained wrist. He’s averaged 7.5 points, 4 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.

Iowa and Nebraska play at 7 p.m. in Lincoln on Saturday.

Iowa’s loss to Eastern Illinois was historic in a bad way

The Iowa men’s basketball team made history on Dec. 21, but not the good kind. The Hawkeyes suffered a 92-83 loss at home to Eastern Illinois despite entering the game as a 31.5-point favorite, becoming the first team to lose outright as a 30-point favorite in the past 30 years, according to ESPN.

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Iowa entered halftime with an eight-point lead but allowed the Panthers to open the second half on a 14-5 run to jump in front. Things would only get worse from there, as EIU went on to outscore the Hawkeyes 55-38 in the second half, leading by as many as 14 points along the way.

The Iowa defense was subpar, allowing the Panthers to shoot 60% from the field for the game and a staggering 72.4% in the second half. The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, shot 30.6% in the half. Kinyon Hodges led EIU with 22 points off the bench in addition to six assists. That was a major factor as the Panthers bench outscored Iowa’s 54-10.

The loss dropped Iowa to 8-4 on the season, while Eastern Illinois improved to a mere 4-9. It wasn’t exactly the way the Hawkeyes hoped to end nonconference play before heading into Big Ten action, but they’ll look to bounce back next week against Nebraska.