Iowa State's leading player Joshua Jefferson will miss Sunday's NCAA Tournament matchup against Kentucky due to an ankle injury sustained during their first-round win. The All-American forward sprained his left ankle early in Friday's victory over Tennessee State and has been ruled out for the second-round contest.
The Iowa State Cyclones will face Kentucky in Sunday’s NCAA Tournament second-round matchup without their star player after an injury sidelined their top performer.
All-American senior forward Joshua Jefferson has been officially ruled out for the game in St. Louis, according to the NCAA’s injury report. Jefferson earned consensus second-team All-American honors this season.
The injury occurred early in Iowa State’s dominant 108-74 first-round win over Tennessee State on Friday, when Jefferson hurt his left ankle just 2 minutes and 37 seconds into the contest. Medical imaging revealed no fracture, but Jefferson was seen wearing a protective boot when he returned to the sideline and remained out of action for the remainder of the game.
The loss is significant for the second-seeded Cyclones (28-7), as the 6-foot-8 Jefferson leads the team with averages of 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while also contributing 4.8 assists. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s squad is pursuing their third Sweet 16 appearance in the past five seasons.
Their opponent, the seventh-seeded Kentucky Wildcats (22-13), are looking to reach the Sweet 16 for back-to-back years. However, Kentucky hasn’t advanced beyond the regional semifinals since their 2019 tournament run.
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