Despite Iowa State posting a strong win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, hearts dropped everywhere when All-American big man Joshua Jefferson went down and he was in a ton of pain. Jefferson, a true stud, suffered an ankle injury and he wasn't able to return.
As he was helped off the court, the Iowa State faithful were worried sick that maybe he suffered a serious injury that would end his Big Dance early. Luckily, that's not the case. Head coach TJ Otzelberger just caught up with the media and revealed that his playmaker suffered a sprained ankle. Not only that, it's still on the table for him to play on Sunday against Kentucky:
TJ Otzelberger says Joshua Jefferson has a sprained left ankle. X-ray negative. Didn’t rule him out for Sunday.
— CJ Moore (@CJMooreHoops) March 20, 2026
Joshua Jefferson sprained his ankle and could still play against Kentucky
Obviously, this is fantastic news for the Cyclones, the No. 2 seed hoping to make a push and potentially take down Michigan in the Elite Eight if the two teams go to battle. First, however, is a meeting with Kentucky and it's going to be a tough one.
While the Wildcats barely escaped against Santa Clara, Otega Oweh is playing on another level right now and he's going to have plenty of confidence leading up to tip-off. The Wildcats are going to have an upset on their mind, but Jefferson potentially being ready to rock will be huge for Iowa State.
Time and time again, Jefferson has proven to be a complete and total force in the paint. On the season, the 6-9, 240-pounder is averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He finished with only two points on Friday, but he also played three minutes before going down.
Moving forward, we're going to have to wait and see how his ankle progresses. He's got two days to get healthy. On one hand, the Cyclones won't rush him back, but they may not wait till he's 100 percent before sending him back out to play. This is certainly a situation to keep a close eye on moving forward.