While the Iowa State Cyclones are going dancing in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, they will be without a key player for their tournament run.
Following the announcement of Iowa State receiving a 3-seed, head coach T.J. Otzelberger made the announcement that senior guard Keshon Gilbert will not be available for the Cyclones going forward.
“With Keshon, we’ve decided that he needs to focus on his rehab and getting his body back right so he won’t be available as we move forward,” Otzelberger said.
The loss is a big deal for Iowa State as Gilbert had been an instrumental piece in the Cyclones’ success this season. In his fourth season of college basketball, the St. Louis native is averaging 13.4 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per contest.
On the opposite side of things, Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey is trending toward being ready for Friday’s game vs. Lipscomb.
“With Tamin, he’s progressing well,” Otzelberger said. “Each day, he’s getting better, so we fully anticipate him being ready to go for our game on Friday.”
With Gilbert out, the Cyclones will need to find some extra production in the backcourt to make a deep run. Will it be the insertion of Curtis Jones back into the starting lineup? Will they look for someone else to step up? Only time will tell what happens to one of the best backcourts in the Big 12 Conference.
Iowa State clashes with Lipscomb on Friday, March 21st, in a matchup between a No. 3 and No. 14 seed.
