When the going got tough for Iowa State against West Virginia, the tough got going — quite literally, in Jameel McKay’s case.

McKay suffered a back injury against Oklahoma State that nearly took him out of the game against West Virginia, but he toughed it out in one of his best performances of the season.

McKay blocked a season-high five shots and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to help hold the now No. 16 team in the country to just 32.4 percent shooting. But the defensive specialist nearly didn’t make it on the court for the second half.

“It did affect the way I was playing, especially in the first half,” McKay said. “The first play of the game, Georges threw me a lob that I normally would get, and I came down a little awkwardly and that’s when I knew it was really bad.”

However, with players like Monté Morris, Georges Niang and Dustin Hogue in foul trouble less than halfway through the second half, McKay knew he needed to step up and play through the pain.

The injury happened after landing on his back against Oklahoma State, which has since hindered him from making the jumps and plays he says he’s capable of making. McKay did not participate in practice on Monday and plans to rehab in preparation for the game against No. 22 Baylor.

But will he be ready?

“If it’s up to me, 100 percent, I’m playing,” McKay said of his status for Baylor. “We’ve just got to see where my back goes. I think I’ll be able to go. I’m expecting to play.”

Nader continues road success

Speaking of tough going, Abdel Nader may be the best example of a Cyclone facing a tough year. In home or neutral site games, Nader is averaging just 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. On the road against Iowa and West Virginia, those numbers jump to 19.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest.

What’s up with that?

“I think sometimes when you’re struggling as a shooter, it’s sometimes easier to go on the road,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “You play with a little less pressure on yourself. Abdel had two really good days leading into that game at West Virginia and shot the heck out of it at practice. Hopefully, he can carry that over into this game at Baylor.”

The road warrior has become key in situations in which the Cyclones needed someone to step up outside of the usual suspects. Nader took control of those games, crashing the boards hard and handling the pressure of stout defenses when others found themselves struggling or in foul trouble. 

“We can’t get too high or too low, Abdel Nader is case and point of that,” Niang said. “He was our guy to go to down the stretch against West Virginia.”

And going forward, he will likely be needed again on the road at No. 22 Baylor as the Cyclones face their second-straight ranked road game. Iowa State takes on Baylor at 8 p.m. on Jan. 14 in Waco, Texas.