Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson unlikely to play vs. Kentucky in NCAA tourney due to sprained ankle
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson is a long shot to play in the No. 2 seed Cyclones' game against No.
7 seed Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday after the All-American arrived at the arena for practice with a boot still on his sprained left ankle. The Cyclones' second-leading scorer and top rebounder was hurt about 2 1/2 minutes into Friday's 108-74 rout of Queens when he landed awkwardly on his ankle following a layup. Jefferson needed help from their training staff to leave the court, and while X-rays were negative, the 6-foot-9 forward wound up watching the rest of the game from the bench.
He was still using crutches to help him get around as the Cyclones practiced Saturday at Enterprise Center. “Right now we're continuing to evaluate,” Iowa State coach T. J.
Otzelberger said. “It appears unlikely but you never want to rule out anything. We'll just continue to do what we can in his best interest and we'll be prepared to go either way.
” Jefferson said he was doing “as much rehab as I can,” but time is not on his side. “A lot of compression and then moving it around,” Jefferson said, when asked what he can do to help his recovery. “The best thing right now is to get it moving as much as I can, and then start to be able to walk again.