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MONDAY MUSINGS: Jefferson’s back, plenty of drama in CBB title & The Gr8 One

ConnorFerg, Apr 08 • 0 Comments

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (2) dribbles against Mississippi Rebels guard Dre Davis (14) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Monday night marked the end of the 2024-25 college basketball season, and considering all of the drama that provided us with, paired with the “madness” the portal gave us, and the greatest scorer of all time delivering once more on Sunday …

Well, that makes it a perfect time to muse on a Tuesday.

Joshua Jefferson

If you even glanced at social media any time this weekend after 7 p.m. on Saturday, you probably saw rumblings on social media about Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson and LSU.`

Fans subscribed to the CycloneFanatic premium forum got to follow it all live as things were happening — and it all eventually culminated in an important announcement from Jefferson on Tuesday.

So Jefferson essentially announced he’d be returning, and he’ll enter the season as one of the strongest candidates for Big 12 player of the year, along with a great shot of earning All-American honors if things go the right way.

It’s important to remember that Jefferson didn’t get an off-season to develop last year as he was recovering from an injury.

Whether or not he can take steps forward this summer might be the most important aspect for Iowa State, who’s in the top 10 of a few different ‘Way too early,’ Top 25’s (Rothstein – 6, On3 – 7, Fanta – 10).

College Basketball’s National Championship

Florida took home the national championship after a gritty game against Houston that came down to the wire.

Coach Todd Golden had zero NCAA Tournament wins coming into March and Florida played three games in three days en route to a SEC Tournament title that ended on Selection Sunday – so much for either of those narratives.

I thought the celebration on the river walk was badass, too. That would be a crazy spot to take it all in.

As far as how the all-No. 1 seed Final Four went, it had all of the drama and close finishes that we could ask for, and on the surface it completely delivered.

However, after the game, I was left with a desire to see something different. The officiating crew whistled just four fouls in the first half of Monday night’s game, before blowing the whistle 26 times during the second half.

Houston had chances on weak technicals to really make Florida pay, and the Gators saw 11 calls go against UH to their one during a stretch of the game. I’m not saying the wrong team won.

But Monday’s game fit the same theme we saw countless of times through the year: Inconsistent officiating paired with overreactions leads to games changing.

I feel bad for Kelvin Sampson, who deserves a title in the worst way.

Here’s to hoping he gets one, and he’s proven his teams have more than what it takes. I don’t think many Cyclone fans would disagree, either.

Nebraska has become a pipeline for Iowa State football

Over the weekend, Iowa State Football landed a pair of commitments out of the state of Nebraska, bringing the total to five for the 2026 class.

The latest pair includes cornerback Tyrell Chatman, who was formerly a Northern Illinois commit, and linebacker Barry Fries.

Of the top nine prospects from the state, Iowa State has earned commitments from five of them and will see each of the other four on official visits this summer.

I would say it’d be a loss if Iowa State didn’t grab two of the other four commitments, the way things are going right now.

Quick Hits

Lamar Jackson went after Dale Earnhardt Jr. this week in a trademark dispute over the No. 8 that Jackson has – apparently – linked to his own brand – who the hell knew that?

Earnhardt Jr.’s team was trying to get a pair of No. 8’s in different fonts trademarked, and Jackson’s camp went after them for the alternate font introduced a few years ago for Junior’s Xfinity (NASCAR’s AAA tour) team.

Earnhardt Jr. and his team let it go, not seeking to get into a legal battle over a No. 8 logo/font that didn’t have any historical relevance, but what on Earth is Jackson’s team thinking?

Jackson isn’t near the level of fame – or accomplishments – that Earnhardt Jr. is at. Why go after this? The only thing it accomplishes is giving Jackson a bad look for some, and reason to criticize for anyone that roots for Junior, motorsports, and anything adjacent to it.

Jackson’s not even the second most prevalent No. 8 of all time.

Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. No. 8 earned No. 895 in the most Ovechkin way possible over the weekend.

On Friday night, Ovi had a chance to break the record on an empty net – in his team’s home barn – but refused to get on the ice.

After turning down the shot at an empty net to complete a hat trick and break the record at home, Ovechkin scored goal 895 on Sunday against Ilya Sorokin – one of the 29 goalies that faced at least one shot from the Gr8 one that hadn’t allowed a goal, yet.

And, in classic Ovechkin-fashion, he does the sliding penguin celly, one of many that he ‘invented’ over the years.

The Masters start Thursday, and I just discovered Rickie Fowler isn’t going to be in the tournament. I need to do a better job of keeping up with it. Anyway, I’ll take Max Homa.

Oh, and as an extra, Iowa State Wrestling just added Missouri transfer Rocky Elam, a four-time All-American at 197 pounds. Talk about a big get.

See y’all next week.

Connor Ferguson

editor

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