ST. LOUIS — Iowa State senior forward Joshua Jefferson is unlikely to play against Kentucky in the second round of the NCAA men’s tournament, coach T.J. Otzelberger said Saturday.
Jefferson suffered a sprained left ankle in the 2-seed Cyclones’ win over Tennessee State on Friday in St. Louis. Jefferson, the team’s second-leading scorer, was in a walking boot inside the Enterprise Center and did not practice. He said that he is still dealing with swelling in the ankle he injured in the 108-74 win.
Otzelberger did not want to officially rule anything out ahead of the matchup against the 7-seed Wildcats but cast serious doubt that Jefferson will be available.
“We’ll just continue to do what we can in his best interest,” Otzelberger said. “We’ll be prepared to go either way.”
Jefferson played just three minutes against Tennessee State. The rest of the Cyclones (28-7) rolled in the first-round contest. He said that he used a compression boot that helps facilitate recovery and also did some weight-bearing activities to help rehabilitate the injury.
Jefferson didn’t have a percentage estimate on how good he felt Saturday but said he feels pretty good about his current condition. However, on Friday, he told ESPN that it didn’t seem feasible to step on the court at even 50%, which could potentially put his team at a disadvantage.
Iowa State senior guard Tamin Lipsey, the team’s third-leading scorer behind Jefferson and junior forward Milan Momcilovic, said that losing Jefferson is obviously a major hindrance. But the way the Cyclones responded against Tennessee State on Friday provided some encouragement. Four players scored in double figures in the 34-point win that was never close.
“To see guys step up when maybe they haven’t played that many minutes before or maybe their shot wasn’t feeling as good as it was and now they’re shooting it with a lot of confidence, that’s what you want at this point in the season,” Lipsey said.
Otzelberger highlighted freshman guard Killyan Toure as someone who could help fill the void if Jefferson does not face the Wildcats (22-13).
“We’ve got so much confidence in this group and guys that can step up on a given night,” the Iowa State coach said.
“Obviously when you have a guy like Joshua out, it’s going to be imperative that other guys step in. But that’s something that we’ve had.”
If the Cyclones can get past Kentucky, they will reach the Sweet 16 for the third time in the last five seasons.
