Mizzou men's basketball freshman Yaya Keita underwent a surgical procedure Friday on his left knee and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

"It's always hard to see a player go down with an injury and we are really hurt for Yaya," said head coach Cuonzo Martin. "He's worked extremely hard to get back into game shape this season after missing his senior year of high school and we were hopping it would be a different outcome. After looking at all the options, Yaya, his family and our athletic training staff determined what was best for his long-term success. Yaya continues to be an important part of our team and we wish him a healthy recovery."

Keita appeared in 21 games this season for Missouri, seeing minutes in the last eight games prior to the injury for the Tigers. A freshman from St. Louis, Keita's career-high five rebounds came earlier in the season against Utah and a personal-best six points in the season opener against Central Michigan. He had played in all but two of the team's SEC games prior to the injury.