Cyclones Thrive Without Jefferson, March On

0:00On March 24th, the Iowa State Cyclones have advanced through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament in St. Louis, beating Tennessee State and then Kentucky without their star forward, Joshua Jefferson. He rolled his ankle badly early in the opener and sat out both games, but the team still pulled off solid wins with plenty of momentum from there. Strong seating. Coach T.J. Ozzelberger made quick changes, sliding senior guard Nate Heiss into the starting lineup against Kentucky. Heiss has been the team's expactor all season, grabbing rebounds like a forward and hitting shots from outside. Killian Torrey also stepped up big, playing some of his best ball yet, to help feel the gap. Fans held their breath when Jefferson went down, with the crowd going quiet in that first game. But the cyclones heated up from the field right away, building quick confidence that they could keep going strong. Their defense has been lights out, living up to their top ranking all year. Against Kentucky on Sunday, they force 20 turnovers with aggressive pressure from the tip, turning it into the game changer they needed.

1:04This run proves Iowa State can thrive even without Jefferson, playing a tougher style that sets them up well. With tougher foes ahead, an elite eight trip looks very much in reach.