One of the biggest storylines for the Tennessee-Iowa State Sweet 16 game coming up this Friday night is the health and injury status of Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson. The All-American player suffered an ankle injury in the first round of the tournament last Friday against Tennessee State and did not play in the team’s second-round win over Kentucky.
While the Cyclones didn’t necessarily need Jefferson to blow out Kentucky on Sunday, he’s a vital piece to this Iowa State roster as the season winds down. Jefferson is currently averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists this season. He’s also shooting 47.1% on the season and 34.5% from three-point range.
According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Jefferson is “continuing to progress” this week as his status remains unknown for Friday’s game against Tennessee. Rothstein reported that Jefferson was in the arena for the Cyclones’ off day/media day last Saturday, but that he was on crutches and in a boot.
CBS Sports injury analyst Marty Jaramillo gave an optimistic outlook on Jefferson’s chances to play against Tennessee during a CBS Sports television show on Monday.
“I’m really very confident about Friday’s game (against Tennessee),” Jaramillo said. “Here’s why. He’ll be doing rehab multiple times a day. First of all, reset the body. Calm everything down, because everything tightens up on that side – his calf, his knee, his hip. Two, we’ve got to restore his movement and regain his stability. Movement through hands-on work, through hydrotherapy, pool therapy that unloads the body. And, obviously, the really most important, the hands-on work. And then we’ve got to prep for the next game. As soon as he can put full weight on that ankle, guess what? He’s shooting free throws, he’s watching film, every single day. Like I said, it’s not about fully healing, but just getting him ready. Having an MRI (Monday), barring any hidden findings in that MRI, I expect him to play.”
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Jefferson was named an AP Second Team All-American selection this past season while having a career year. Prior to his injury, Jefferson was as red-hot as perhaps any player in the country. He went for 21 points against Arizona, 18 points against Texas Tech, 20 points against Arizona State, and 22 points against Texas Tech. All of those games have come in the last month alone.
Without Jefferson, Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey stepped up against Kentucky. He scored 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 on threes. He also added 10 rebounds, three assists and five steals in 37 minutes.
“Obviously, with J-Jeff out of the lineup and not playing in the game, he’s the best player on our team,” Lipsey said after the game. “So just all the guys knew that we had to step up in different ways and however that presented it to us. For me it was just being aggressive, getting downhill early, drawing some fouls, getting to the line. That kind of set the momentum for me. Didn’t hit a three until the second half, but once that happened, I felt really good about my offense and teammates kept looking for me, things like that.”
Even with Jefferson’s uncertain status, the 2-seed Cycles are still a point betting favorite over the 6-seed Vols. We’ll monitor the line over the coming days to see if anything changes with further updates to Jefferson’s status.
More to follow: Kentucky sports betting
