The No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones are still dancing in the 2026 edition of March Madness, and they will be taking on the No. 6 seed Tennessee Volunteers on Friday in a Sweet 16 matchup at the United Center in Chicago.
However, there remains a major injury concern for the Cyclones, with senior forward Joshua Jefferson's status for the Tennessee showdown still up in the air.
Iowa State basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger provided an update on Jefferson on Wednesday, saying that Jefferson's status could be determined just before tip-off.
“He's working tirelessly every day. Countless sessions in the training room. Doing everything he can. His ankle is getting better every single day. It's going to take right up to game-time,” Otzelberger said, via Eugene Rapay of the Des Moines Register.
“We're going to give it every possible chance to do that, and he's doing all that he can do. There's not any percentages, predictions, unlikely, likely… Each day, there is pretty significant progress, but we'll see where we're at game time Friday night.”
Iowa State basketball passed its test in the second round with an 82-63 win over the No. 7 seed Kentucky Wildcats despite missing the services of Jefferson, who hurt his ankle in the Cyclones' 108-74 demolition of the 15th-seeded Tennessee State Tigers. Jefferson played in only three minutes in that contest, scoring two points and grabbing a rebound before leaving with an injury early.
Jefferson's importance to Iowa State can't be understated. He is the team's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, averaging 16.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from behind the arc (3.1 3-point attempts per outing).
