March Madness: Iowa State’s Final Four hopes dealt blow as Jefferson hurt in rout | NCAA Tournament 2026

Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson sprained his left ankle in the opening minutes of the second-seeded Cyclones’ 108-74 rout of No 15 seed Tennessee State on Friday, leaving the All-American’s status in question for the rest of the NCAA Tournament.

The Cyclones’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder did not appear to be touched as he drove the lane for an open layup. But his entire 240lb body came down on his left ankle as it turned beneath him, and Jefferson immediately dropped to the floor in front of the Iowa State bench as a hush came over a crowd filled with Cyclones fans.

X-rays were negative, Cyclones coach TJ Otzelberger said, and Jefferson watched the second half of the game in a boot.

“We’ll continue to reevaluate over the next day or two and just see where things are on Sunday,” Otzelberger said.

That’s when the Cyclones play seventh-seeded Kentucky, which beat No 10 seed Santa Clara in an overtime thriller earlier Friday.

“It’s a next-man-up [mentality],” Iowa State guard Dominick Nelson said. “It sucks. He’s one of our best players. But we have to have the next man up. We all put in the work every day. We all trust each other. We all see what each other does day-in and day-out.”

The 6ft 9in Jefferson, who was averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists, was a second-team AP All-American this season, missing out on the first team by a single point in voting. And he was dominant throughout the Big 12 Tournament last week, helping Iowa State beat Arizona State and Texas Tech before losing on a buzzer-beater to eventual champion Arizona.

The Cyclones were hoping he could continue to be the catalyst for a program that hasn’t been to the Final Four since 1944.

He may still get that chance. But it might take beating the Wildcats without him on Sunday.

No 7 Kentucky 89, No 10 Santa Clara 84 (OT)

Santa Clara thought they had knocked Kentucky out of the NCAA Tournament when freshman Allen Graves answered a tying basket by Wildcats star Otega Oweh with a three-pointer in front of his own bench with 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

The problem for the Broncos: There were still 2.4 seconds left in regulation.

As coach Herb Sendek tried to call timeout, Kentucky quickly got the ball into the hands of Oweh, who raced across the midcourt line and heaved up a three-pointer, which banked through the bucket to tie the game at 73-all. The buzzer sounded when the ball was in midair.

The kind of shot that puts the madness into March Madness didn’t exactly end Santa Clara’s postseason hopes – that didn’t come until Kentucky scored eight consecutive points in OT to pull away. But the sequence of shots in those wild last few seconds of regulation will be remembered much longer than the 89-84 final score Friday, which sent the No 7 seed Wildcats into a matchup with No 2 seed Iowa State in the Midwest Region.

“You know,” Sendek said afterward, “it was a really euphoric high followed by a tough one to swallow.”

The No 10 seed Broncos certainly gave everything they had – everything built up over the 30 years since Steve Nash last led them to the NCAA Tournament – in trying to knock off one of college basketball’s bluebloods inside the packed Enterprise Center.

The game was tied 12 times. The lead changed hands 20 times. Santa Clara led by two at halftime as the West Coast Tournament runner-up went toe-to-toe with Kentucky, which was making its record-extending 63rd NCAA Tournament appearance.

Yet the first 59 minutes merely set the stage for the dramatic conclusion.

No 6 Tennessee 78, No 11 Miami (Ohio) 56

Ja’Kobi Gillespie hit six three-pointers and scored 29 points as Tennessee ended a fabulous season for Miami (Ohio) with a win.

The Vols (23-11) shook off a rough end to the season – losing four of six games – and advanced to play third-seeded Virginia on Sunday in the Midwest Region.

Gillespie hit five threes in the first half to help the Vols push ahead by 20 and squash any chance the 11th-seeded RedHawks (31-2) could carry over the confidence gained from their First Four win and pull off a signature victory.

The Vols did just about everything right and showed again why – no matter the seed – they are a perennial threat to go deep in March. Led by Gillespie, the Vols made 12 of 19 shots to start the game, including long threes and 20 quick points in the paint.

Just to add one more gut punch to Miami, Ethan Burg hit a three at the first-half buzzer for a 51-32 lead.

Gillespie passed up a chance to score 30 points – only two other Vols have ever reached that mark in the NCAA Tournament – when he drove the lane with 1:13 left but skipped the open look and threw a lob to Felix Okpara for the bucket.

JP Estrella had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Vols.

No 9 Utah State 86, No 8 Villanova 76

MJ Collins’ steal and emphatic one-handed slam dunk with 1:13 left gave him 20 points and Utah State opened their fourth straight NCAA Tournament by beating Villanova.

Mason Falslev, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, scored 22 and helped bring the Aggies back from a 10-point deficit early in the second half.

Utah State (29-6), the No 9 seed in the West Region, will play No 1 seed Arizona in the second round on Sunday. The Wildcats beat No 16 Long Island 92-58 on Friday.

Collins converted a three-point play with 2:53 left to give the Aggies a 78-73 lead. After No 8 seed Villanova (24-9) committed a five-second inbound violation, Falslev fed Collins for a layup and an 80-73 lead. Collins intercepted a pass by Bryce Lindsay and went in for his slam for an 84-74 lead.

Lindsay made six three-pointers and scored 25 points for Villanova. Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins added 15 points apiece.

No 3 Virginia 82, No 14 Wright State 73

Jacari White hit six three-pointers and scored 26 points, and Virginia avoided yet another early NCAA Tournament exit, beating a resolute Wright State in the first round.

The Cavaliers (30-5) will face sixth-seeded Tennessee in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday.

Virginia won their first NCAA Tournament game since they won the 2019 national title.

The Cavaliers lost in the first round or the First Four in 2021, 2023 and 2024, and title-winning coach Tony Bennett abruptly retired before last season. Ryan Odom took over this season and quickly turned the program around.

Odom knows all about Virginia upsets in the tournament. He coached UMBC in 2018 when they were the first No 16 seed to knock off a No 1 – yes, Virginia.

Wright State (24-11), a No 14 seed, were 18-and-a-half-point underdogs but never looked out of step as it tried to pull off the shocker.

Michael Imariagbe scored 19 points and kept hope alive for that rare 14 seed win – there have been none in the tournament since 2024 – with a late three that pulled the Raiders within 78-73. White responded with a bucket that finally put to rest any thought of an early ride back home for the Cavaliers.

No 4 Alabama 90, No 13 Hofstra 70

Labaron Philon Jr scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat Hofstra in a first-round game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson Tide (24-9) advanced to a second-round matchup against fifth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10), a 20-point winner over 12th-seeded Akron in the earlier first-round game at Benchmark International Arena.

Alabama ended the opening half on a 19-7 run to wipe out a 10-point deficit, then built its own lead to 13 before Hofstra (24-11) mounted one last push for a possible upset.

Freshman Preston Edmead had 24 points for the Pride, and his basket pulled the Pride within 67-62 with just over seven minutes remaining. Victory Onuetu’s dunk trimmed Alabama’s lead to 69-64 and ignited much of a crowd of 17,769 that threw its support behind the underdogs.

Philon was simply too much down the stretch, though, delivering a layup and a long three-pointer during a surge that enabled Alabama to rebuild the lead to double digits. Taylor Bol Bowen put an exclamation point on the Crimson Tide response with two dunks and a three-pointer as the lead ballooned to 20.

No 5 Texas Tech 91, No 12 Akron 71

Jaylen Petty scored 24 points, Christian Anderson added 18 and Texas Tech beat Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Red Raiders (23-10) will face fourth-seeded Alabama in the second round in the Midwest Region on Sunday.

Playing without All-America guard JT Toppin, who tore the ACL in his right knee last month, Texas Tech got double-figure scoring from five players.

Josiah Moseley had 16 points, Donovan Atwell scored 15 and LeJuan Watts added 14.

Amani Lyles led Akron with 26 points and Shammah Scott had 20.

Akron (29-6) became first team to win the Mid-American Conference Tournament three straight years. But the Zips again failed to reach the second round in their eighth March Madness appearance.

Petty and Atwell opened the second half with consecutive three-pointers to give Texas Tech an 11-point lead.

Akron got within 64-60 midway through second after Eric Mahaffey scored on a layup and made a free throw to complete a three-point play. But the Zips couldn’t get any closer.

No 1 Arizona 92, No 16 LIU Post 58

Brayden Burries hit four three-pointers while scoring 18 points, Koa Peat added 15 points and top-seeded Arizona opened their NCAA Tournament run with a over Long Island on Friday.

Ivan Kharchenkov had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champion Wildcats (33-2), who quickly showed why they’re the tournament’s second overall seed behind Duke.

Pushing the pace on offense and stifling the Sharks with defense, Arizona went up by double digits in the opening minutes and led the Sharks by 27 in the first half while delighting the thousands of fans who filled Viejas Arena with red.

Arizona will return Sunday to face Utah State in the West Region bracket.

No 4 Alabama 90, No 13 Hofstra 70

Labaron Philon Jr scored 29 points and Alabama rallied from an early double-digit deficit to beat Hofstra in a first-round game in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.

The Crimson Tide (24-9) advanced to a second-round matchup against fifth-seeded Texas Tech (23-10), a 20-point winner over 12th-seeded Akron in the earlier first-round game at Benchmark International Arena.

Alabama ended the opening half on a 19-7 run to wipe out a 10-point deficit, then built its own lead to 13 before Hofstra (24-11) mounted one last push for a possible upset.

Freshman Preston Edmead had 24 points for the Pride, and his basket pulled the Pride within 67-62 with just over seven minutes remaining. Victory Onuetu’s dunk trimmed Alabama’s lead to 69-64 and ignited much of a crowd of 17,769 that threw its support behind the underdogs.

Philon was simply too much down the stretch, though, delivering a layup and a long three-pointer during a surge that enabled Alabama to rebuild the lead to double digits. Taylor Bol Bowen put an exclamation point on the Crimson Tide response with two dunks and a three-pointer as the lead ballooned to 20.

No 9 Iowa 67, No 8 Clemson 61

Bennett Stirtz scored 16 points and Iowa weathered his erratic shooting to hold off Clemson.

The Hawkeyes (22-12), making their March Madness debut under coach Ben McCollum, move on to a second-round South Region meeting against either top-seeded and defending national champion Florida or No 16 seed Prairie View A&M.

Stirtz made two free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining help put the game away after Clemson (24-11) rallied to within 61-57 in the closing minutes. But Iowa’s leading scorer had an off night, going 3 for 10 on three-point attempts and 1 for 7 inside the arc. Kael Combs kept the Hawkeyes stay afloat with 15 points and Alvaro Foigueiras came off the bench to score 14.

RJ Godfrey led Clemson with 15 points.

No 7 UCLA 75, No 10 UCF 75

Eric Dailey Jr scored 20 points, Xaiver Booker had 15 points and eight rebounds to make up for the absence of leading scorer Tyler Biloudeau and UCLA withstood every serious challenge and beat UCF.

The Bruins (24-11) play the winner of the game between No 2 seed UConn and Furman on Sunday.

Jordan Burks scored 22 points and hit six three-pointers — including one that made it 72-69 with 10 seconds left — to almost single-handedly carry UCF (21-12) into the second round.

No 5 St John’s 79, No 12 Northern Iowa 53

Zuby Ejiofor had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and St John’s beat Northern Iowa for their second NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.

Oziyah Sellers scored 11 points for Rick Pitino’s gathering Red Storm (29-6), who have won 20 of 21 since early January in increasingly impressive fashion. With a fluid, balanced offensive effort against the nation’s stingiest scoring defense, St John’s jumped to a huge early lead at Viejas Arena and never trailed the 12th-seeded Panthers (23-13).

The New York City program revitalized by Pitino ended its 25-year March Madness victory drought last season. After rolling through the Big East tournament last week, Pitino’s current team is one win away from the Johnnies’ first trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the 21st century.

St John’s will return Sunday to face the winner of fourth-seeded Kansas’ meeting with Cal Baptist in the East Region bracket.

Trey Campbell scored 14 points and Leon Bond III added 12 for Northern Iowa, who surprisingly snared their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 by streaking through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament last week with four wins in four days as the sixth seed.

No 2 Purdue 104, No 15 Queens University 71

Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding Purdue to a win over Queens University.

The Boilermakers seized control with a pair of 10-0 runs, once in the waning moments of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn’s basket after an offensive rebound capped the second surge and stretched Purdue’s lead to 58-36 with 16:27 to play.

Purdue (28-8) led by at least 20 the rest of the way.

About eight minutes in, Smith handed out his 1,077th career assist, breaking the record previously held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley. The milestone came when Smith, wearing glittering black Nike sneakers, set up a layup by Kaufman-Renn that gave Purdue a 17-12 advantage.

Smith finished with eight assists and made 10 of 15 shots as Purdue converted at a 63% clip from the field, including 58% from three-point range.

Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, and Oscar Cluff had nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for Purdue.

Jordan Watford and Nasir Mann, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, led the 15th-seeded Royals (21-14) with 10 points apiece.