Iowa State star power forward Joshua Jefferson will not play in the Sweet 16 matchup against Tennessee on Friday night, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported Friday night. The Cyclones listed Jefferson as questionable on the official game day injury report before Thamel reported that he will not play.
Jefferson suffered an ankle injury in the Cyclones blowout win over Tennessee State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. He missed Iowa State’s 82-63 win over Kentucky in the Round of 32 and was using a scooter during the game.
The All-American power forward told the media Thursday that he had yet to practice this week which made it unlikely that he would be able to play serious minutes.
“Still a good amount of pain,” Jefferson said in Iowa State’s open locker room Thursday. “But if I can just play though hurt then I can play through hurt.”
The 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward was a AP Second Team All-American this season, averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. KenPom currently ranks Jefferson as the No. 2 player nationally in its Player of the Year rankings.
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Iowa State had little issue handling Kentucky without Jefferson, routing the Wildcats despite falling behind by double-digits early. Still, Jefferson is the most important player on Iowa State’s team and being without him would be a major blow for the Cyclones.
Without Jefferson, star point guard Tamin Lipsey and star forward Milan Momcilovic will step into larger roles. Momcilovic averages 17.9 points per game on 49% shooting from three-point range while making 134 triples this season. Lipsey is averaging 13.3 points and 5.1 assists per game.
Tennessee is currently 3.5-point underdogs against Iowa State according to the DraftKings Sportsbook. The over under is set at 140.5. KenPom predicts the Cyclones to earn a 71-67 victory.
Tipoff between Tennessee and Iowa State is at 10:10 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago. Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas and Evan Washburn are on the call for TBS and TruTv.
