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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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No. 2 seed Iowa State handled business in its NCAA Tournament opener Friday, pulling away from Tennessee State in a game that was effectively decided early.
The Cyclones’ depth showed up immediately, with freshman guard Killyan Toure pushing tempo, multiple shooters spacing the floor, and a defense that forced mistakes in waves.
By halftime, Iowa State had built a commanding 55-29 lead, leaning on a balanced attack led by Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic, and Nate Heise to keep the Tigers at arm’s length.
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But just minutes into the game, the tone shifted.
All-American forward Joshua Jefferson went down on a drive to the basket, suffering a left lower leg injury that forced him out for the remainder of the contest.
That moment changed everything, and now, so does the latest update.
After the win, head coach T.J. Otzelberger offered more uncertainty.
"I don't know what his status will be at this point, so we'll check on him after the game, and we'll see. I know he's a fierce competitor. If there's any way he can be out there, we know he will," Otzelberger said.
"We're focused on this game and putting everything into this game. So we'll turn the page now and learn more about Kentucky," he added.
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Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 senior, has been one of the most versatile players in college basketball this season, averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while functioning as a point-forward in Otzelberger’s offense.
His ability to initiate offense, switch defensively, and control tempo is what makes Iowa State so dangerous.
That production earned him AP All-American honors and put him firmly in the conversation as one of the sport’s most complete players.
And now he’s in a walking boot.
The injury itself was as concerning as it was sudden, with Jefferson rolling his ankle awkwardly on a routine drive just minutes into the game, unable to put weight on it as he was helped off the floor.
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Iowa State now turns its attention to a second-round matchup against No. 7 seed Kentucky, a team coming off an emotional, narrow win over Santa Clara.
That’s a massive jump in competition, and the margin for error shrinks fast.
Without Jefferson, Iowa State becomes a different team, one more guard-oriented, less dynamic, and easier to scheme against.
Against Kentucky’s length and athleticism, that could be decisive.
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