Early in the NCAA Tournament, injuries have already played a key role for several teams, but none suffered a bigger blow than the No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball on Friday.
In just the first few minutes against the No. 15 Tennessee State Tigers men’s basketball, Iowa State lost their second-leading scorer, forward Joshua Jefferson, to what appeared to be a significant ankle injury. Jefferson landed awkwardly after attempting a layup and had to be helped off the court.
He was later seen on crutches in the tunnel and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. According to Chris Vannini of The Athletic, Jefferson is set to undergo X-rays, putting his status for the rest of the tournament in serious doubt.
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Iowa State has serious national championship potential given their experience and consistency on both ends of the court, but losing Joshua Jefferson is a massive blow to that puzzle.
Behind only Milan Momcilovic, who averages 17.1 points per game, Jefferson is right there with 16.9 points per game. He also contributes across the board, averaging 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, and he leads the Cyclones in rebounds.
Despite Jefferson being absent for nearly the entire first half, Iowa State still erupted for 55 points and led by 26 at halftime.
But playing a first-round game against a No. 15 seed is very different from the competition they may face later in their region. While Jefferson will likely miss any second-round game this weekend, the hope is that the injury is not serious enough to end his NCAA Tournament run.
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