Mar 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) reacts during the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
ST. LOUIS — Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger expected his star forward Joshua Jefferson to react to becoming a consensus second team All-American with one resolute thought.
Should have been first team.
And Jefferson — the only Power Five player averaging as many as 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.7 steals — (as usual) didn’t disappoint.
“Definitely,” said Jefferson, whose versatility will be on full display when the No. 2 seed Cyclones (27-7) take on 15th-seeded Tennessee State (23-9) at 1:50 p.m. Friday in a first round NCAA Tournament game at the Enterprise Center. “The days working out on my own and definitely having that intensity and anger toward the workout — I think it’s just gonna make me better moving forward.”
Jefferson’s averaged 18.8 points while shooting 54.5 percent from the field since enduring a 2-for-17 night in the 73-57 loss at No. 1 seed Arizona on March 2 in Tucson. The multi-skilled 6-9 senior from Las Vegas has fully adopted the Cyclones’ “no reaction” policy when it comes to on-court play, but behind closed doors? Jefferson’s as dogged a competitor as you’ll find, and that tough night in the desert helped fuel his desire to sharpen his already wide-ranging game.
“I think just changing my perspective on how I needed to approach the game (was big),” said Jefferson, who boasts two triple-doubles and 10 double-doubles this season. “And then just taking my time and understanding that I’m big and strong and fast, so just using all of my gifts to my advantage.”
Jefferson’s positive attributes — combined with those possessed by fellow ISU headliners such as Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic — duly impressed Tennessee State forward Jalen Pitre on film.
“Everybody’s good,” said Pitre, whose Tigers are in the tournament for the first time since 1994. “Even the bench guys, those are good guys, too.”
Guys like Jamarion Batemon, Nate Heise and Dominykas Pleta. Batemon, a freshman, is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. Heise ranks fourth on the team in steals with 29. Pleta, who’s also a freshman, scored in double figures on two of the past four games after notching 10-plus points just twice in the previous 30 contests.
So all the Cyclones are peaking at the right time — which guarantees nothing, but generally bodes well when a single loss will end the season.
“(We’re) super locked in,” Batemon said. “Just being focused, knowing the intensity, knowing what’s at stake.”
Heise said his parents, brother, and around 10 close friends from his hometown of Lake City, Minn., are in St. Louis to cheer ISU on. HIs sister, Taylor, who won gold with the the U.S. women’s hockey team in last month’s Winter Olympics, is playing professionally for the Minnesota Frost, so she can’t attend, but …
“I think she said if we have the opportunity to play (next weekend in the Sweet 16) in Chicago — I think she’ll be there,” Heise said.
That’s a big what-if scenario, and Heise’s well aware of that. The Cyclones have reached the Sweet 16 in two of Otzelberger’s first four seasons, but if they get past Tennessee State, they’ll be more evenly matched up paper by either seventh-seeded Kentucky or 10th-seeded Santa Clara in the round of 32.
“The key is to focus on the next thing,” Otzelberger said. “The next thing is the opportunity in front of us, whether it is a practice, film session, (or) team-building opportunity. You continue to focus on those things and the results will take care of themselves.”
And Jefferson, of course, can’t control what value writers or coaches find in his all-around game. He’s just the fifth Cyclone ever to be a consensus All-American — whether first team or second team — and that’s an honor. Even if in his and Otzelberger’s mind it should have been even higher.
“When I came here I wanted to leave my mark at Iowa State,” he said. “And I think I’ve done that. So (I want to) just continue to make this year be as special as I can, with winning as many games as we can here.”
