Iowa State Cyclones' Free-Throw Battle vs Tennessee

0:00On March 27, Iowa State Cyclones are turning heads in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. They knocked out Tennessee State in the round of 64 and came back strong to be Kentucky in the round of 32. Now they're in the sweet 16, facing the Tennessee Volunteers. Under coach TJ Otsilberger, this marks the third sweet 16 trip in five years for Iowa State. They've never gone further though and they'll need to solve Tennessee's tough front line. Star forward, Joshua Jefferson's health is a big question mark as his size can make a real difference inside. Fans and analysts are buzzing about the cyclones overall talent on both ends of the floor. Still, their free throw shooting stands out as a real weak spot, sitting at just 67.7% for the season, near the bottom. Nationally, key players like Milan, Momsilovic lead the way at 87.8%, but he's not at the line much. Jefferson attempts the most at 6.1 per game, but hits only 70%. So far in the tournament,

1:02they've been solid, going 21 of 27 against Tennessee State and 17 of 24 versus Kentucky. Tennessee struggles from the striped two at 69.6%. In what shapes up as a gritty defensive fight, whichever team heats up at the free throw line, could grab the edge and punch a ticket to the elite. 8.