The Iowa State Cyclones are headed to the Sweet 16 after two impressive victories to begin the NCAA Tournament. They won their first-round matchup over No. 15 seed Tennessee State 108-74 and then defeated Kentucky in the Round of 32 by a score of 82-63. Despite rolling in their first two games, it has not been smooth sailing for Iowa State in the injury department.
In the first half of their opening game, they lost All-American Joshua Jefferson to an ankle injury. He has not played since the injury occurred, and his status for their Sweet 16 game is up in the air. Jefferson is the best player on the Cyclones, and while they were able to survive against lesser teams, they cannot go as far as they hope without him.
Joshua Jefferson’s Injury Status for the Sweet 16
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger spoke with reporters on Wednesday and shared an encouraging but cautious update on Jefferson’s injury status.
“He’s working tirelessly every day,” Otzelberger said. “Countless sessions in the training room. Doing everything he can. His ankle is getting better every single day. It’s going to take right up to game time… and he’s doing all that he can do. There are no percentages, predictions, unlikely, or likely.”
“We’ll see each day there is pretty significant progress, but we’ll see where we’re at game time Friday night. Each day, there is pretty significant progress, but we’ll see where we’re at game time Friday night. He’s starting to walk a little bit now. It’s not perfect, but it is progress.”
Iowa State is treating Jefferson like a game-time decision. He initially suffered the sprained left ankle during Iowa State’s first-round win over Tennessee State on March 20. The injury caused him to miss his first game since joining the Cyclones for the 2024-25 season.
Jefferson is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists during the season. He is one of only three Iowa State players who average over 30 minutes per game. He is a Swiss Army knife for this team, as he can take on many different roles and contribute across the stat sheet.
MARCH MADNESS: Fill In Your Bracket Now!
While Jefferson is out, Iowa State has had other players step up in his absence. They have not missed a beat thanks to the play of point guard Tamin Lipsey, who dominated against Kentucky. He scored 26 points in the game and added 10 assists and 5 steals.
Nate Heise stepped into the starting role for Jefferson and scored 12 points across 36 minutes. This team still has plenty of talent available, even without its best player.
The Cyclones will take on Tennessee in the Sweet 16, with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight to face the winner of Michigan vs. Alabama. Iowa State has never made the Elite Eight in the five years Otzelberger has been coaching.
Some may say this current team gives them the best chance to make a run to the Final Four, which they haven’t advanced to in 82 years.
However, for that to happen, they must be at full strength, and that means getting Jefferson back in the lineup sooner rather than later. Fortunately for Iowa State, they are the final game of the Sweet 16, playing on Friday at 10:10 p.m. ET, which gives Jefferson the most time possible to feel better.
Sweet 16 Schedule for Thursday and Friday
After several days without any NCAA Tournament games, the action resumes tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET. There are four games on tonight and four games on Friday, with all of them airing on CBS and TBS/truTV.
THURSDAY
- No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue | 7:10 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska | 7:30 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
- No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona | 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston | 10:05 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
FRIDAY
- No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 1 Duke | 7:10 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan | 7:35 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
- No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 2 UConn | 9:45 p.m. ET | CBS
- No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Iowa State | 10:10 p.m. ET | TBS/truTV
The NCAA Tournament averaged 9.8 million viewers through its first three days, the best start since CBS and TNT began showing all of the games together in 2011, according to Nielsen data. The primetime Thursday window hit 12.5 million, making it the most-watched first-round window in tournament history.
All eyes will be on Jefferson to see if he can return and give Iowa State their best shot at advancing to the Elite Eight, which gets underway on March 28 to March 29.
