CHICAGO – Tennessee basketball’s Men’s NCAA Tournament run is full of delayed decisions.
The Vols had to wait extra days for the First Four to reveal their first-round opponent, Miami (Ohio). Now in the Sweet 16, No. 6 seed Tennessee (24-11) has to gameplan for Iowa State with or without one of its best players.
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All-Big 12 forward Joshua Jefferson is a game-time decision for the No. 2 seed Cyclones (29-7) when they take on Tennessee at the United Center on March 27 (10:10 p.m. ET, TBS).
Jefferson injured his ankle early in Iowa State’s March Madness opener against Tennessee State. He had a knee scooter while he watched the Cyclones defeat Kentucky, but is now able to move independently.
“There’s nothing new at this point,” said Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger regarding Jefferson’s injury progress. “We’re going to give him every opportunity up until the game to do everything he can… At this point, it would be premature to make any type of determination until we get closer to tip.”
Jefferson averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Cyclones on 47.1% shooting.
What Tennessee basketball said about Iowa State
The Vols are certainly aware of Iowa State’s “weird style of defense,” as redshirt sophomore forward J.P. Estrella called it.
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“It’s super hectic,” he said. “They’re doubling the ball in the post, they’re always moving around. The defense is definitely something that pops out to us.”
Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes credited Otzelberger for the Cyclones’ nationally-ranked defense.
“It’s a tough one,” he said. “All you’ve got to do is look at the analytics. Just so well-coached. (They) understand what they’re trying to get done as a group. They have really great rotations, great use of hands – everything that you would want a defensive team to do, they show that. Obviously, ball security is so important against them, or they really make you pay with it.”
The Cyclones made Kentucky pay with 25 points off of 20 turnovers in the 82-63 win on March 22. Tennessee, despite two NCAA Tournament victories, hasn’t protected the ball well. It surrendered 16 turnovers to Miami (Ohio), then gave Virginia another 10 in the 79-72 win.
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The Vols have had issues with turnovers all season, but sophomore guard Bishop Boswell laid out their mindset against Iowa State.
“Knowing your spots on the floor and not being frantic,” Boswell said about keys to protect the ball. “Being confident with the ball when you’re in those kinds of positions where you’re stuck in the middle. Any time you can get a shot up, it’s better than a turnover. Be ready to shoot when you get it, and then going and rebounding.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joshua Jefferson injury update for Iowa State vs Tennessee basketball
