There were a lot of takeaways from the Iowa State Cyclones loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The Iowa State Cyclones knew that they faced an uphill battle going up against the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. There were a lot of similarities in how the two teams played, but the Volunteers entered the game at full strength.
That wasn’t the case for the Cyclones, who were without star forwardHis absence proved costly, with the team looking to run out of steam against a very prepared Tennessee squad. With the season disappointingly coming to an end, here are some major takeaways from Iowa State’s Sweet 16 loss to the Volunteers.Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson talks to the media during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images The Cyclones were able to rally against the Tennessee State Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats in their first two games of the NCAA tournament without Jefferson. The same strategy was deployed against Tennessee, but the loss of Jefferson was too much to overcome. His impact on both ends was missed greatly. When the team went on a long scoring drought without a basket, he could have made a play to score. The size difference was stark against the Volunteers, which he would have helped even out. It was a great run, but the deeper into the tournament Iowa State went without him, the more difficult things were going to get.Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara dunks in the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Throughout the season, the Volunteers have been one of the best rebounding teams in the country. They had the second-best rebounding margin, which they improved upon against the Cyclones. Tennessee was +21 on the glass, pulling down nearly as many offensive rebounds, 16, as Iowa State did total, with 22. The differential was a lot to overcome, with the Volunteers creating second-chance opportunities for themselves and limiting them on the other end. Felix Okpara and Jaylen Carey both had double-doubles in the game, and every Tennessee player who played in the game grabbed multiple rebounds. The leading rebounders for the Cyclones were Tamin Lipsey andMar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic shoots the ball while defended by Tennessee Volunteers guard Bishop Boswell in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images There were things that Iowa State did well to stay in the game, such as forcing 17 turnovers. However, they couldn’t fully capitalize on shortcomings in other areas of the game, such as their shooting., making only 15-of-25 attempts. There were opportunities for them to put game pressure on the Volunteers had they shot a little better from the foul line.Tamin Lipsey Goes Out On Shield Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey controls the ball in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images In what was his last collegiate game, the senior point guard did everything in his power to help his team advance to the Elite Eight., looking to set the tone. He scored 18 points, which tied for the team high along with Heise, shooting 6-of-13 from the field but an ice-cold 1-of-4 from long range and 5-of-8 from the foul line. Lipsey added five rebounds, five assists and one steal across 36 minutes of action. Unfortunately, it was not enough to get a win, closing the book on what has been one of the best men’s basketball careers in Iowa State history.KENNETH TEAPE Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.
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