4 Takeaways From Iowa State Basketball vs Tennessee in Sweet 16

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 forward Joshua Jefferson.

His 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.

Jefferson Loss Finally Caught Up

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson speaking to media. — 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.

Tennessee Dominates Rebounding

Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara dunking. — Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara (34) 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 and Nate Heise with five apiece.

Shooting Struggles

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic shooting over Tennessee Volunteers guard Bishop Boswell. — Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) shoots the ball while defended by Tennessee Volunteers guard Bishop Boswell (3) 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.

The Cyclones were held to 5-of-23 shooting from 3-point range and were once again abysmal from the foul line, 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.

Given their lengthy droughts without scoring a basket, the missed free throws hurt even more.

Tamin Lipsey Goes Out On Shield

Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey dribbling ball. — Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) 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.

Just as the case was against Kentucky, he took the onus to be aggressive offensively, 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.