Sunday Headlines: Iowa State Gameday

The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action today, taking on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Round of 32. The 7-seed Wildcats take on the 2-seed Cyclones with a berth in the Sweet 16 in Chicago on the line. Going into today’s game, all eyes are on Iowa State’s All-American forward Joshua Jefferson, who

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The Kentucky Wildcats are back in action today, taking on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Round of 32.

The 7-seed Wildcats take on the 2-seed Cyclones with a berth in the Sweet 16 in Chicago on the line.

Going into today’s game, all eyes are on Iowa State’s All-American forward Joshua Jefferson, who left Friday’s game against Tennessee State in the first few minutes after spraining his ankle.

The 6’9 forward is a difference maker, having been named a consensus second-team All-American nationally and

first-team Big 12. On the season, Jefferson averaged over 16 points and 7 rebounds per game to go along with nearly 5 assists and over 1.5 steals per game.

If Jefferson is unable to play, that will certainly be a major hit for the Cyclones. Iowa State fared well without him against Tennessee State, but it’s a different challenge today.

It also remains to be seen how Kentucky will respond today after Friday’s win over Santa Clara. The Cats picked up a thrilling win on Friday, so will that momentum carry over into today, or will Kentucky be hungover from the big win?

The Cats certainly cannot come out slow against the Cyclones today. Iowa State is among the best defensive teams in the country, holding teams to an average of 65.4 points per game, which ranks in the top 15 in the country. This isn’t a team that you can easily come back on.

With a win, Kentucky would make it back-to-back appearances in the Sweet 16. That hasn’t happened since Kentucky made three straight appearances from 2017-19. Meanwhile, an Iowa State win would give the Cyclones their third appearance in the last 5 seasons.

Today’s game tips off at 2:45 PM ET on CBS. Go Cats!