Iowa State’s March Madness hopes took a devastating blow on a play that looked like any other. In their ongoing battle, they will be without the services of their 6-9″ forward Joshua Jefferson.

Jefferson is the second-leading scorer (16.9) on the Cyclones team, and now Iowa State will be without him for the rest of the tournament. Jefferson was last seen walking on crutches after his injury.

“Iowa State Star F Joshua Jefferson is on crutches after a leg injury and is doubtful to return…Would be a huge blow to Iowa State’s Natty hopes… ” was the post shared on Instagram by Elite College basketball.

Jefferson, a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, landed awkwardly after going up for a layup attempt early in the first half. He twisted his ankle and had to be helped off the floor by Cyclone staff. He was unable to put weight on his left foot and went straight to the locker room as he was helped by the staff members.

Ever since making his way from St. Mary’s Gaels, Jefferson has played some of his best games at ISU, and of course, his absence will lead to strategic changes in the team, pointed out Iowa coach TJ Otzelberger.

Otzelberger Calls Jefferson the Main Catalyst Of Iowa State

Nobody understands what it means to lose a dependable player on the squad quite like the coaches. Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger is no different. Going forward, as the NCAA championship gets deeper, you need your best players to be at their peak, but here they’re down a key player.

“For our team, Joshua [Jefferson] is such a huge part of everything we do. So we have a more guard-oriented attack when he’s not out there,” the head coach had revealed to the broadcast team during a timeout.

But the problem for Otzelberger here is that the main guards in question, apart from Tamin Lipsey, have not been as effective as the team would have liked. Jamarion Bateman and Killyan Toure have lacked that killer touch, and so it will mean the pressure will automatically be immense on Lipsey’s shoulders.

Iowa State is cruising against Tennessee State Tigers, no doubt, but next up for them is a team like Kentucky, which, despite not having the best season of their own, can very much change the complexion of the game with a player like Darryn Peterson in their ranks.

The frontcourt now would be the responsibility of Milan Momcilovic, who has been leading the team, but he won’t have anybody on the front lines sharing the bulk of the load with him, and that can pose a problem. So Blake Buchanan will have to go the extra mile to provide that support to Momcilovic in attacking the rim.

But all is not lost. As Texas proved in their victory over a BYU team led by the heroic AJ Dybantsa, a strong game plan can overcome the loss of a star player. The Cyclones will hope to replicate that success against Kentucky. Mind you, just like Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson is also a projected No. 1 2026 draft pick.