Iowa State consensus All-American Joshua Jefferson is listed as OUT for Sunday's Round of 32 game against Kentucky, per the NCAA Player Availability Report.

Joshua Jefferson is "unlikely" to play tomorrow, per T.J. Otzelberger. With or without Jefferson, Iowa State is determined to play their identity.

Kentucky is well aware of that identity. Jake Brend reports from the Enterprise Center.

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Lea Nelson and Jackson Pence react to Iowa State’s first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament, courtesy of Karl Auto Group.

Below is the full interview with Kevin Dresser following tonight's title match.

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VS



Kentucky (22-13, 10-8 SEC)
#6 IOWA STATE (28-7, 12-6 BIG 12)
SUNDAY, MARCH 22TH 1:45 P.M. CST
Enterprise Center / St. Louis, MO


TV: CBS
Talent: Spero Dedes, pxp Jim Spanarkel, analyst Jon Rothstein, reporter

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network (Varsity Network)
CRN Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (analyst)

Roster turnover, graduates, roster holes and transfer options…

Need a transfer again at 84,97 and maybe another body at 65/74 imo

Let off-season begin

OSU had 4 freshmen in finals.
3 won national titles.

I don’t feel good about that.
Enjoyed the tournament this weekend and will be Clone to the Bone forever.

Screw iowa, psu, and osu.

I've been wondering about this for a while. Our wrestling team does not have nearly as competitive a schedule as a team in the B10. Does that hurt us. I started thinking about this a few years ago, as an avid VB fan, I'd see our girls do decently in the B12 but have very, very limited success once they hit the national tournament.

I looked at our wrestling schedule this year, and we only fought 3 teams that finished in the top 10 of the 2026 tournament, and only 5 teams finishing in the top 15. Iowa, on the other hand, fought 6 top 10 teams and 8 top 15 teams. I admit I am not considering who we met at tournaments but I doubt if it changes things very much.

B12 BB is high level and FB is decent. But are we destined to slide backwards for no other reason than the competition our guys face.

My fear is that it becomes increasingly difficult for our guys to do well nationally as we move into the future. Yes, money and recruiting are a factor but I would like to think outside that box for now. Those are connected issues but let's focus on the level of competition for this discussion.

Or am I all wet.

The recurring problem of a guard court not being able to make a basket contributed to another early out for the Sisters. But the problems went much deeper than horrid shooting.

Interested to see the thoughts from the rest of the fan base.

Pros:

You beat Iowa
Undefeated non-con even though it was the weakest schedule you could ask for
Cracked top 10

Cons
- Lost to a terrible Cincinnati squad
- Blew a 12 point lead in the 4th quarter against TCU because you "ran out of gas"
- Said the goal was to be "monsters in March" and were one and done in the Big 12 tournament and NCAA tournament.
- Have quite possibly the worst defense in P4. (Unsure if its lazy, poor IQ, or poor scheme)
- Have zero offense outside of "pass the ball to Audi"

I anticipate Bill and the entire staff being back next year as a "retirement tour." My hope is we find a way to get a little new blood to come in to bring some life to the defensive end - zero ***** were given in the second quarter today, or the entrie first half against Arizona State - and the "zero defensive ***** given" mindset for entire quarters really was an issue we had all year.

When was the last time ISU had 1+ in the ncaa finals? I remember Kyven, DC, John Reader all in the finals.

Was the last time Hesket and “he who I can’t say his name” the last time?

TIA and go Younger!!

Enjoy.

2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
March 19-21 | Cleveland, Ohio (Rocket Arena)
Session 5: March 21, 5:30 p.m. CT

LIVE RESULTS:
TrackWrestling (classic viewer)
FloWrestling (new viewer)

TELEVISION: ESPN

AUDIO: Varsity App

CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES:



TEAM SCORES THROUGH SESSION 5:


TEAM SCORING FOR SESSION 6:
Championship win = 4 + bonus

Acknowledging that everyone has their own circumstances, yesterday was a great reminder for us Cyclone fans that we should never take anything for granted. I’ve heard of way too many people “waiting for Chicago”.

For most of Central Iowa, it’s an easy drive down and back tomorrow (if you can’t come down and enjoy this beautiful weather today) and there are plenty of tickets at face value are still available.

Find some friends, pack the car, and head south!

Hi guys, apologies for not sharing these last night.

I ended up working until 4 am and actually fell asleep in the middle of getting these interviews finally up on Youtube! If you're wondering the rollercoaster this weekend turns into. Ha!

Dresser post-Session III: Login to view embedded media
Yonger Bastida post-semifinals press conference: Login to view embedded media

https://winterinkphotography.smugmug.com/SB/20260320Houston

ISU wins by mercy rule 9-1 in 6 innings

Iowa State played an A+ game, even though it wasn't an A+ day for the Cyclones.

While All-American Joshua Jefferson left the game with a scary injury, key players stepped up in his place.

Jake Brend reports following a blowout in the Round of 64.
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Chris Williams reacts to Iowa State’s NCAA Tournament win over Tennessee State before diving into the Joshua Jefferson injury, the Kentucky matchup, and more. Presented by Karl Auto Group.

Iowa State moves onto the Round of 32 with a blowout win over Tennessee State on Friday afternoon.

Watch everything T.J. Otzelberger, Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic, Killyan Toure, Nate Heise, Tamin Lipsey, Dominick Nelson and Blake Buchanan said following the game below.

https://cyclonefanatic.com/2026/03/watch-locker-room-interviews-following-tennessee-state-win/

Iowa State (22-9, 10-8 Big 12) vs. Syracuse (23-8, 12-6 ACC)

Gampel Pavilion – Storrs, Conn.

Saturday, March 21, 2026 – 4:30 p.m.


WATCH: ESPN 2 (PxP: Ryan Ruocco, Analyst: Rebecca Lobo, Sideline: Holly Rowe)

LISTEN: Cyclone Radio Network (PxP: Noah Wolf, Analyst: Jamie Steyer Johnson)

LIVE STATS

Getting wrestling results sucks.The sport is dying. We should at least be able to get results easily without paying for it

2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships
March 19-21 | Cleveland, Ohio (Rocket Arena)
Session 5: March 21, 10:00 a.m. CT

LIVE RESULTS:
TrackWrestling (classic viewer)
FloWrestling (new viewer)

TELEVISION: ESPNU

STREAMING: ESPN+


AUDIO: Varsity App

ROUNDS/BOUTS THIS SESSION:
Conso R6 (581-600)
Placing Matches (601-630)


IOWA STATE MATCHES THIS SESSION:



TEAM SCORES THROUGH SESSION 4:


TEAM SCORING FOR SESSION 5:
Conso R6 win = 3.5 + bonus
Placing win = 1 + bonus

Time to turn the page...

Oweh is the straw that stirs the drink. The matchup between him and Toure will be great.

Aberdeen is a nice combo guard. I suspect Lipsey gets that assignment.

Chandler is their shooter. He and Momcilovic are sure to follow each other around the court.

Garrison is a former McD AA has a ton of length in the frontcourt. Okie State transfer.

They have a clear advantage in size in the frontcourt. Especially w Jefferson likely out. We need to turn them over early and often and turn this thing into an up and down game.