With Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson sidelined by an ankle injury and Kentucky holding a late first-half lead, the No. 7 seed Wildcats were in a spot to secure an upset Sunday over the No. 2 seed Cyclones with a Sweet 16 spot on the line.
But Iowa State seized control late in the first half and pulled away for an 82-63 blowout to secure its spot in the NCAA tournament’s second weekend. Kentucky’s season, meanwhile, ends short of the Sweet 16, a disappointing finish for the Wildcats in their second season under head coach Mark Pope.
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Iowa State’s defense overwhelms Kentucky
Iowa State dominated the ball, forcing 20 Kentucky turnovers and securing a 61-45 advantage in shots from the field.
Kentucky was in control early and held a 30-23 lead with 2:07 remaining before halftime. But the wheels started to fall off in the half’s final two minutes. Iowa State finished the stanza on an 8-1 run, aided by three Kentucky turnovers in the final 1:29.
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By the break, Kentucky had turned the ball over 12 times. And the late Iowa State run set the tone for a dominant second half in which the Cyclones continued to clamp down on defense erupted for a 51-33 advantage.
Again, they did this without Jefferson, a second-team All-American who left Iowa State’s first-round win over Tennessee State with an ankle injury that left him on crutches after the game. The Cyclones ruled Jefferson out prior to tip on Sunday, and he watched the game from the bench in street clothes with a walking boot on his left ankle.
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Even without Jefferson, Iowa State’s swarming defense had little trouble slowing a Kentucky offense that scored 89 points in overtime in a first-round win over Santa Clara. Iowa State entered Sunday ranked fifth in the nation in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, allowing opponents just 65.4 points per game. The Wildcats didn’t manage to reach that threshold.
Kentucky shot well from the field, connecting at a 47% clip while shooting 9 of 25 (36% from 3). But it stood little chance of keeping pace as Iowa State secured a 9-5 edge in offensive rebounds to exacerbate its ball control while hoisting 16 more shots from the field than Kentucky.
Joshua Jefferson’s teammates step up
Senior guard Tamin Lipsey stepped up in Jefferson’s absence with a game-high 26 points and 10 assists while securing five of Iowa State’s 12 steals. Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State’s leading scorer on the season (17.1 points per game) added 20 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. The nation’s leader in 3-point percentage (49.4%) hit 4 of his 9 shots from beyond the arc.
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Denzel Aberdeen led Kentucky with 20 points, but committed four turnovers. All-SEC guard Otega Oweh, the hero of Kentucky’s win over Santa Clara, posted 18 points and eight rebounds while also committing four turnovers.
Jefferson’s status moving forward isn’t clear as the Cyclones prepare for a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 6 seed Tennessee, who upset No. 3 Virginia later on Sunday. He’ll have until Thursday or Friday to rest and recover, depending on when the Cyclones are scheduled to play.
Kentucky, meanwhile, will go back to the drawing board to improve on a season in which it started ranked No. 9 in the nation, but finished unranked and short of the NCAA tournament’s second weekend. Kentucky’s former coach, John Calipari, meanwhile, has led Arkansas into the Sweet 16.