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Joshua Jefferson injury: Tearful Iowa State star laments Sweet 16 loss, reveals 'not even close' to return

DR Lewisby: Derek Lewis03/28/26

Losing in the Sweet 16 would produce tears for anybody, but for Iowa State star forward Joshua Jefferson, the pain stings even harder. And, he tearfully explained why during a postgame interview following the Cyclones 76-62 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers.

The versatile Cyclones wing hasn’t been seen since injuring his ankle in the early stages of their blowout first-round win over No. 15 Tennessee State. Despite his absence, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region dominantly dispatched No.7 Kentucky in the Round of 32.

Even after buying their star an extra weekend, Jefferson was ruled out for Friday’s matchup vs. the Volunteers. They held strong without him for the first half, but in the end, the six-seeded Vols ended their season in blowout fashion in the second stanza.

For Jefferson, having to watch from the sidelines was a bit too much to bear. Through tears on his face, he couldn’t help but let out the emotion of the whole week’s events.

“It’s just hard when you work so hard to get to a certain point and then something like last weekend happens,” Jefferson stated. “It’s just really unfortunate, man. I just wish I could be out there with them, fight with them, one last time.”

Joshua Jefferson ‘not even close’ to playing vs. Tennessee

The emotions probably stung even harder for Jefferson, knowing he wasn’t particularly close to being able to help his teammates. When asked how close he came to suiting up vs. Tennessee, he quickly shut down any idea that there was any chance.

“Not even close,” Jefferson said. “Just starting to jog. A lot of pain with it. Probably wouldn’t have been able to go, Sunday either. So it’s just hard. Trying so hard to get out there, and you just physically can’t do it.”

So even if Iowa State had advanced, they would have had to play a third full game without Jefferson’s services on Sunday against no. 1 Michigan with a Final Four trip on the line. And even steeper mountain to climb, considering the Wolverines’ length.

But in any matchup, losing Jefferson is a blow. Not only did the forward average 16.4 points a game on pretty good efficiency, shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from three, but he also pulled down 7.4 rebounds and added 4.8 helpers.

His offensive versatility was sorely missed vs. Tennessee. And unfortunately for Jefferson, he could feel that too. And now, he and the Cyclones are left to wonder what could have been.