ST. LOUIS — No. 2 seed Iowa State dominated No. 15 seed Tennessee State 108-74 in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s important this time of the year that you focus on your habits, the consistency of those habits every day and for us that involves pressuring the basketball, rebounding the ball at a high level and taking care of the basketball and sharing it,” head coach T.J. Otzelberger said.
The Cyclones advance to the Round of 32, where they will face No. 7 seed Kentucky. Tipoff time and network will be announced, with the game set to air on CBS family networks.
Jefferson goes down early
Senior forward Joshua Jefferson suffered a left ankle sprain after scoring a layup to give Iowa State a 5-3 lead.
Senior guard Tamin Lipsey called over athletic trainer Vic Miller, who provided immediate attention.
Members of the training staff and Otzelberger helped Jefferson off the floor and into the locker room.
Senior guard Dominick Nelson saw increased minutes in Jefferson’s absence.
Jefferson later returned to the bench on crutches with a boot on his left ankle to watch the second half with his teammates.
After the game, Jefferson confirmed X-rays were negative. He will undergo rehab and is doubtful for Sunday.
Updates on Jefferson’s status can be found here.
Record-breaking win
Iowa State’s tournament opener broke multiple program and NCAA Tournament records, marking the 164th 100-point game in tournament history.
Freshman guard Killyan Toure led all scorers with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
“We are ready to play and, yeah, today we stepped up because J-Jeff [Jefferson] was down,” Toure said. “And we just took the opportunities and we played pretty well today.”
Redshirt senior guard Nate Heise followed with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
“The way we all stepped up knowing that that’s what [Jefferson] would have wanted,” Heise said. “Just continue to fight for him and we all stepped up.”
The Cyclones’ 108 points were the most scored in the 2026 tournament at the time, while their 55-29 halftime lead set a tournament best.
Iowa State also set program records for points and assists in an NCAA Tournament game. It’s 55 first-half points established a program record for points in a half during tournament play.
The performance, even without Jefferson for most of the game, highlighted Iowa State’s depth and ability to make a deep tournament run.
Late-game physicality
The game grew increasingly physical in the second half, with multiple altercations as the margin widened.
Heise was involved in a tie-up with a Tennessee State player that led to a brief exchange of words.
Officials intervened as Tennessee State’s Aaron Nkrumah approached Toure and Heise during the sequence.
Later, a more serious incident occurred involving Iowa State freshman forward Dominykas Pleta.
Tennessee State redshirt freshman forward Kavien Jones was assessed a flagrant two foul and ejected after wrapping his arm around Pleta’s neck and pulling him to the floor.
Officials reviewed the play before upgrading the call to a flagrant two, ending Jones’ night early.
