Virginia Tech and Iowa will each carry 2-0 records into Tuesday night’s neutral-site meeting in Sioux City, Iowa, and both teams have already shown a little depth in the early going.
For Virginia Tech, the early storyline has been the growing chemistry in the backcourt and around it. Big man Amani Hansberry said he built a quick connection with guard Ben Hammond last season, and now he sees that bond expanding with Oklahoma State transfer Jaylen Curry in the mix. That trio powered the Hokies to a 96-67 win over Mercer on Thursday, their last tuneup before the matchup with Iowa.
Hansberry was the headliner against Mercer, posting a career-high 23 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the field and knocking down a 3-pointer. Hammond and Curry were right there with him, as all three Hokies scored at least 14 points. Virginia Tech also took care of the ball, finishing with just four turnovers while forcing 18.
“It’s very exciting,” Hansberry said. “Especially when we get out in transition and I get the ball and I’m able to find those guys and set a screen for them with a full head of steam. They’re both very explosive, very quick, and on the defensive end, they can guard as well.”
Iowa comes in off a much more lopsided result of its own, a 91-47 home win over Eastern Illinois on Friday. The Hawkeyes, like Virginia Tech, are unbeaten through two games, though they also gave the ball away 15 times in that victory.
There’s also some uncertainty around Iowa’s front line. Coach Ben McCollum remains hopeful that 7-foot-3 center Andrew McKeever, a Saint Mary’s transfer dealing with back issues, could make his debut Tuesday. McCollum said the situation has been unpredictable from day to day.
“One day he can feel good, and the next day, it’s awful,” said McCollum, who added that he thought McKeever would play against Eastern Illinois. “So we’re hopeful, because he’s really good. In practice, he was as dominant as we’ve had.”
Iowa got a strong showing from its reserves in the win over Eastern Illinois. Trey Thompson scored 11 points and said the grind of a redshirt season in 2025-26 helped him prepare for this early stretch.
“It has really been crucial for me to get better,” Thompson said after Friday’s 11-point performance. “So I’m very thankful that I did.”
Peyton McCollum led the way with 14 points, while Ty’Reek Coleman added 13 and Tate Sage finished with 10.
The Hawkeyes are still looking for their first win over Virginia Tech in five tries. Tuesday’s game will also be the first neutral-site meeting between the schools, who last played in November 2017 when the Hokies won by 24 points in a Big Ten/ACC Challenge game in Blacksburg.
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The biggest question hanging over that test is in the frontcourt, where transfer center Andrew McKeever has missed the first two games with a back injury. Iowa has gotten by so far, but the Hokies will offer a sturdier challenge and a better gauge of how much the Hawkeyes can lean on their interior depth if McKeever is still unavailable. [Read more 🡒]