Opponent: No. 7 Kentucky
Moneyline: Iowa State (-205)
Unlike many of the teams we’ve highlighted in our upset alert articles, the Iowa State Cyclones showed no signs of stumbling in the first round, cruising to a 108-74 victory over No. 15 seed Tennessee State.
However, they lost second-team All-American Joshua Jefferson just a few minutes into the first half when he rolled his ankle, landing awkwardly after a layup. He was helped off the court and returned later with crutches and a boot, and his status going forward is up in the air.
Killyan Toure (25 points, 11 rebounds) and Nate Heise (22 points) stepped up in his absence, and the Cyclones still have a high-powered scoring threat in sharp-shooter Milan Momcilovic (17.1 PPG, 130 3PT, 49.4 3PT%) along with veteran point guard Tamin Lipsey.
The Kentucky Wildcats pose a significantly more difficult test in the second round. Jefferson’s status will be the X-factor for the Cyclones.
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