ST. LOUIS — Iowa State senior forward Joshua Jefferson suffered a sprained left ankle in Friday’s 108-74 first-round NCAA win over Tennessee State.
An X-ray taken at St. Louis’ Enterprise Center came back negative, Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger mentioned after the game. Jefferson’s status will be evaluated over the next two days as Iowa State prepares to face 7-seed Kentucky on Sunday.
The team’s second-leading scorer remains hopeful that he’ll be able to suit up to help the Cyclones advance to the Sweet 16 for the third time in the past five seasons.
“I think if I can get up and down the floor and do what I need to do, I think I should be good to play,” Jefferson told ESPN after the game. “I think that’s what puts me in my best interest, but also the team.”
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Jefferson was driving to the rim for a layup early in the first half when he landed awkwardly. He mentioned his toes got stuck on the court and his ankle “gave out with the momentum.”
Jefferson was helped off the floor by the team’s trainers. When he returned to the bench, he had a walking boot on his left leg and watched as his teammates rolled over the 15-seed Tigers (23-10).
Freshman guard Killyan Toure scored a game-high 25 points and senior guard Nate Heise added 22 for the 2-seed Cyclones (28-7).
The game was never in question. Iowa State raced out to a 26-point lead at halftime and stretched the advantage to 38 points in the second half. The game showcased Iowa State’s depth, which could be needed if Jefferson is unavailable to face Kentucky.
“During practice we all compete against each other and we are ready,” Toure mentioned. “We are ready to play. Today we stepped up because [Jefferson] was down.”
Coming into the tournament, Jefferson averaged 16.9 points per game, trailing only junior forward Milan Momcilovic on the team (17.1 PPG). Momcilovic had 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting on a day when others carried the workload.
Momcilovic told ESPN that the team will greatly appreciate whatever Jefferson can bring to the court against Kentucky (22-13).
“It’ll be a big boost if he can go,” Momcilovic mentioned. If he can go 10 to 15, 20 minutes, however (long), because it’s a bigger body we need. He rebounds well and he creates a lot of offense.”
However, Jefferson wants to be sure he isn’t a liability if he does end up playing.
“If I’m out there, [playing at] 50% is not doing anybody any good because I’d just be letting the team down,” Jefferson mentioned.
The senior from Las Vegas mentioned having a negative X-ray encouraged his chances of suiting up in two days. Between now and tipoff, Jefferson mentioned he will use compression on that injured left ankle and do mobility exercises to get the ankle potentially ready to play.
“He’s an unbelievable player [and] unbelievable leader,” Otzelberger mentioned. “Not having him out there brought a lot of challenges, but proud of our guys how they stepped up and how they trusted and believed in one another.”
