As Kentucky Basketball gets set to face Iowa State in the Round of 32, the Cyclones are likely to be without All-American forward Joshua Jefferson.
After injuring his ankle in the blowout win over Tennessee State, Jefferson is now unlikely to play on Sunday, according to Iowa State head T.J. Otzelberger.
“We’re continuing to evaluate. It appears unlikely,” said Otzelberger.
The 6-9, 240-pound senior is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He’s one of the most valuable
players in the country, and the Cyclones clearly aren’t the same team without him.
Still, these Cyclones have more than enough firepower to make a run to the Final Four, even if Jefferson is out for an extended period of time. They’re still 4.5-point favorites over Kentucky entering Sunday’s contest and will be relying heavily on junior forward Milan Momcilovic, who’s averaging a team-high 17.1 points per game. Momcilovic scored 28 points in the Cyclones’ Big 12 Championship Game loss to Arizona and is fully capable of taking his team on a deep run in March Madness.
Even against an Iowa State team not at full strength, the Cats will have to play much better than they did against Santa Clara in order to win on Sunday and advance to a second straight Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018-19.
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