Iowa State unsure if All-America forward Joshua Jefferson will play in Sweet 16 vs. Tennessee: 'It's really Joshua's decision'
Jefferson was able to take the floor for shootaround Thursday but told reporters that he's still dealing with "a good amount of pain."
Iowa State had little trouble defeating Kentucky without injured forward Joshua Jefferson in the second round of the NCAA tournament. With with a trip to regional final at stake against 6 seed Tennessee, the Cyclones would obviously prefer to play Friday’s Sweet 16 game with their All-America forward on the court. As of Thursday, Jefferson’s status with a sprained left ankle is still unclear.
And ultimately, per head coach T. J. Otzelberger, the decision will be Jefferson’s.
"It's really Joshua's decision," Otzelberger said Thursday, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel . "We're going to support him and love him and have his back in whatever he decides to do. " Jefferson takes court Thursday Jefferson injured his ankle early in Iowa State’s first-round win over Tennessee State.
The second-seeded Cyclones then rolled to an 82-63 win over 7 seed Kentucky despite Jefferson’s absence. Jefferson’s now officially a game-time decision for an Iowa State team seeking to advance to the program’s first regional final since 2000. He was able to take the floor for shootaround on Thursday.