Joshua Jefferson injury update: Iowa State star reportedly unlikely to play vs. Kentucky

Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson is unlikely to play against Kentucky on Sunday, per Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman. Jefferson will receive treatment before the game, but the chances of him playing in the Round of 32 are “slim.”

Jefferson arrived at the arena in St. Louis in a boot after turning his ankle during the Cyclones’ opener against Tennessee State on Friday. It appears he’ll most likely be on the sideline with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

The good news is that Jefferson was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after x-ray’s came back negative. At the time he was injured, Jefferson couldn’t put any weight on his leg and was helped to the locker room with the help of two Iowa State athletic trainers.

While his ultimate status remains to be seen, Jefferson’s injury status will have significant implication for Iowa State’s Round of 32 game against Kentucky. The senior forward is averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game this season, while shooting 47.0% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point range. Earlier this month, Jefferson received All-Big 12 First-Team honors.

Iowa State head coach TJ Otzelberger gave a vague update after the game. At the time, there wasn’t much out on the specificity of the injury.

“I don’t know what his status will be at this point, so we’ll check on him after the game, and we’ll see,” Otzelberger told CBS Sports‘ Jon Rothstein. “I know he’s a fierce competitor. If there’s any way he can be out there, we know he will.”

Despite losing Jefferson early on in the game, Iowa State cruised to a 108-74 victory over Tennessee State. Killyan Toure led the Cyclones with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while Nate Heise scored 22 points off the bench.

Tip-off between Iowa State and Kentucky is set for 2:45 p.m. ET. The game will air CBS.

On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.