Iowa State Surges Past Tennessee State

0:00On March 20th, Iowa State rolled to a 108-74 win over 15th-seated Tennessee State in the first round of the men's. NCAA Tournament on March 20th, 2026 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Second-seated cyclones star-forward. Joshua Jefferson left early with a left ankle or foot injury just two minutes and 37 seconds into the game after a layup and did not return. The cyclones dominated from the start, taking a 55-29 half-time lead and building it to 38 points at one stage. Their bench came alive without Jefferson, pouring in 50 points while controlling the boards with a plus-13 rebound margin. Fans held their breath when Jefferson went down awkwardly, but the team quickly shook it off with a 23-to-nothing run soon after. Players like Freshman Killian Torre, stepped up big, delivering a 25-point 11 rebound, six assists double-double. Standout efforts included 22 points from Reserve, Nate Heiss on efficient shooting and 17 from Milan-Mam Salovic.

1:05Iowa State shot over 52% from the field, including nearly 46% from three-point range. The cyclones advanced to face seven-seated Kentucky on March 21st, with tip-off time still pending as they await more on Jefferson's status heading into the second round.