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…