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The Iowa State Hawkeyes have made it to the Sweet 16 despite star forward Joshua Jefferson playing just three minutes in the NCAA Tournament due to an ankle injury he suffered against Tennessee State.
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger provided an update on the All-American on Wednesday, deeming him a game-time decision ahead of their matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.
"He's working tirelessly every day," Otzelberger told Eugene Rapay of the Des Moines Register. "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. "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."
Jefferson is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He is shooting 47.1% from overall and 34.5% from 3-point range. He is a consensus Second-Team All-American, the fifth in program history and the first since Georges Niang in 2026.
Iowa State picked up two dominant wins without him, beating Tennessee State 108-74 to open the NCAA Tournament and Kentucky 82-63 to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16, where they will play the Tennessee Volunteers for a spot in the Elite Eight.
The game against the Vols is set to start Friday at 9:10 p.m. CT from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The game will air on TBS.
Contact/Follow@College_Wire on X and@College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson is a game-time decision vs. Tennessee
Continue reading...
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger provided an update on the All-American on Wednesday, deeming him a game-time decision ahead of their matchup with the Tennessee Volunteers.
"He's working tirelessly every day," Otzelberger told Eugene Rapay of the Des Moines Register. "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. "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."
Jefferson is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. He is shooting 47.1% from overall and 34.5% from 3-point range. He is a consensus Second-Team All-American, the fifth in program history and the first since Georges Niang in 2026.
Iowa State picked up two dominant wins without him, beating Tennessee State 108-74 to open the NCAA Tournament and Kentucky 82-63 to punch their ticket to the Sweet 16, where they will play the Tennessee Volunteers for a spot in the Elite Eight.
The game against the Vols is set to start Friday at 9:10 p.m. CT from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The game will air on TBS.
Contact/Follow@College_Wire on X and@College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson is a game-time decision vs. Tennessee
Continue reading...
