Iowa State’s Jefferson (ankle) unlikely to play vs. Kentucky

ST. LOUIS — Iowa State senior ahead Joshua Jefferson is unlikely to play in opposition to Kentucky within the second spherical of the NCAA males’s match, coach TJ Otzelberger stated Saturday.

Jefferson suffered a sprained left ankle within the 2-seed Cyclones’ win over Tennessee State on Friday in St. Louis. Jefferson, the crew’s second-leading scorer, was in a strolling boot contained in the Enterprise Center and didn’t observe. He stated that he’s nonetheless coping with swelling within the ankle he injured within the 108-74 win.

Otzelberger didn’t need to formally rule something out forward of the matchup in opposition to the 7-seed Wildcats however solid critical doubt that Jefferson shall be obtainable.

“We’ll just continue to do what we can in his best interest,” Otzelberger stated. “We’ll be prepared to go either way.”

Jefferson performed simply three minutes in opposition to Tennessee State. The remainder of the Cyclones (28-7) rolled within the first-round contest. He stated that he used a compression boot that helps facilitate restoration and in addition did some weight-bearing actions to assist rehabilitate the harm.

Jefferson did not have a proportion estimate on how good he felt Saturday however stated he feels fairly good about his present situation. However, on Friday, he informed ESPN that it did not appear possible to step on the court docket at even 50%, which may probably put his crew at a drawback.

Iowa State senior guard Tamin Lipseythe crew’s third-leading scorer behind Jefferson and junior ahead Milan Momcilovicstated that shedding Jefferson is clearly a serious hindrance. But the best way the Cyclones responded in opposition to Tennessee State on Friday offered some encouragement. Four gamers scored in double figures within the 34-point win that was by no means shut.

“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 stated.

Otzelberger highlighted freshman guard Killyan Toure as somebody who may assist fill the void if Jefferson doesn’t 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 stated.

“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 previous Kentucky, they’ll attain the Sweet 16 for the third time within the final 5 seasons.