Iowa State basketball standout Joshua Jefferson will miss Sunday’s second-round March Madness game against Kentucky, according to an NCAA player availability report released two hours before tip-off.
Jefferson was previously listed as questionable on the initial NCAA Tournament player availability report released Saturday night.
“Right now, we’re continuing to evaluate,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said about Jefferson’s condition on Saturday. “It appears unlikely, but you never want to rule anything out, so we’ll just continue to do what we can in his best interest and we’ll be prepared to go either way.”
Jefferson was in street clothes and watched as the Cyclones warmed up ahead of tip-off against Kentucky. Nate Heise got to start in his place.
Live updates: Iowa State vs. Kentucky
With 17:24 remaining in the first half of Iowa State’s 108-74 opening-round victory over 15-seed Tennessee State, Jefferson exited the game after hitting a layup when he landed awkwardly and twisted his ankle. Jefferson underwent X-ray examination, which turned out to be negative, before returning to the bench with the crutches and a boot. He did not re-enter the game.
On Saturday, Jefferson was still in a boot but was using a knee scooter, rather than crutches. He did not participate in practice.
“It’s a little sore, but I was feeling much better this morning than I was before I fell asleep,” Jefferson told reporters on Saturday. “Taking off (of practice) for (Saturday), so out (Saturday), and then I’ll see how it feels in the morning.”
A second-team All-American by the Associated Press, he entered the NCAA Tournament averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 47.0% overall and 34.5% from long range.
The 2-seeded Cyclones are scheduled to take on the 7-seeded Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday at 1:45 p.m. CT at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. The game will be televised on CBS.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Joshua Jefferson injury update for Iowa State vs Kentucky and it’s not good news
Reporting by Eugene Rapay, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
