Joshua Jefferson's leadership is key for No. 8 Iowa State entering Thursday's game against Colorado

AMES — The card game, Spot it!, requires “a sharp eye and quick hands,” according to the manufacturer.

And when Virginia tried to lure Joshua Jefferson to its program in the summer of 2024, he played it with none other than Blake Buchanan — who’s now his Iowa State frontcourt teammate.

“We’d always go the recruits and players versus the coaches,” said Buchanan, who joined the Cyclones’ program this summer. “So we’d kind of just compete. We usually had a good time with it.”

Jefferson’s trained his sharp eye on this eighth-ranked ISU team (18-2, 5-2 Big 12), which is off to its best start in school history entering Thursday’s 6 p.m. game (FS1) against Colorado (12-8, 2-5) at Hilton Coliseum.

He’s also been quick to speak out strongly when something is lacking in terms of discipline and attention to detail. In short, the burly and often soft-spoken 6-9 senior’s joined stalwart point guard Tamin Lipsey in becoming a vocal leader behind the scenes — and the results speak for themselves.

“I think sometimes I just struggle showing it (on the court) as much as people would like, but I just think that’s who I am,” said Jefferson, the only player in the country averaging as many as 17.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. “I’m showing a lot of energy in practice. I’m being vocal. I’m having fun. So as long as we’re having fun, this is gonna be good.”

The struggling Buffaloes hope to upset that sense of fun the Cyclones have regained by answering a two-game skid with a two-game win streak. Colorado’s lost five consecutive league games, but is rippling with young talent. And two of the Buffaloes’ Big 12 losses have come narrowly to No. 11 Texas Tech (73-71) and No. 14 Kansas (75-69).

“I know they’ve had some adversity lately, but they’re gonna come here urgent to get a win,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “So we need to be at our best because I know that they’re gonna come in here hungry.”

Jefferson’s amped-up volume on the leadership front aims to ensure the Cyclones remain similarly focused despite their unprecedented start to the season. ISU felt its commitment to doing “hard things” slip a bit while dropping two straight road games at Kansas and Cincinnati, but it’s back to forming the program’s bedrock now.

“I don’t want to be the leader that just let things go and we didn’t really fight back,” Jefferson said. “So, just trying to leave my mark on this program in this season.”

Jefferson — along with Lipsey and fellow senior defensive stopper Nate Heise — has already done that with his hard-nosed versatility. He notched his first two career triple-doubles this month, and his ability to attract and attack defenders has helped free up sharpshooting junior Milan Momcilovic, who’s sinking 3-pointers at a nation-leading rate of 54.1 percent.

“We’ve got a lot in front of us,” Otzelberger said. “We’re continuing to get better.”

But?

“It’s gonna be a really big challenge ahead,” Otzelberger continued. “Not just the Colorado game, but Big 12 Conference play for the final 11 games of the season.”

That’s because the Big 12 has reestablished itself as the most competitive league in the country, Otzelberger said, so winning’s never guaranteed even if his team executes at a high level.

“We can play well and still end up coming out with a loss that night,” he said. “The other team can play great. They can be on their ‘A’ game. So you can’t get up and down based on the outcomes. We know we’re highly competitive. We want to win every game. But I think the task at hand is to try to be at your absolute best on the night of that game by what you do in practice.”

That’s where leaders such as Jefferson reign relentlessly, shunning shortcuts while spotting and shoring up areas of concern.

“The confidence he gives his teammates when he’s out there talking is phenomenal,” Otzelberger said. “Everybody gets elevated.”

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com