March Madness is where stars are born — but for some, it may mark the end of an era before they get their “One Shining Moment.”
No. 3 seed Iowa State will be without its second-leading scorer Keshon Gilbert after he re-aggravated a groin injury in the Cyclones’ Big 12 Tournament win against Cincinnati on Wednesday.
Gilbert had been battling the injury for a few weeks now, missing four games dating back to Iowa State’s Feb. 22 loss to then-No.5 Houston.
He had been in and out of the Cyclones lineup since that game.
He played 11 minutes against Cincinnati and those will be his last of the season four-year career.
“We’ve decided that he needs to focus on his rehab and getting his body back right,” said Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger. “He won’t be available as we move forward.”
Gilbert had initially been ruled day-to-day after exiting the conference tournament.
“It’s a day-by-day thing,” he said after exiting his final game. “However it did feel during that day that’s how we’re gonna go about it, just trying to do what’s best for me and my health.”
It’s clear that the injury became much more than that, though, as Otzelberger’s comments didn’t even mention a possibility of Gilbert returning for a deep NCAA Tournament run.
Gilbert played his first two collegiate years with UNLV before transferring to Iowa State and being a two-time All-Big 12 honoree.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged the most minutes this season for the Cyclones, playing 31.4 per contest.
His 13.4 points per game trail only behind Curtis Jones’ 17.1 for the team-high. Gilbert also averaged 4.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and nearly two steals per game.
On Friday, Iowa State takes on No. 14 seed Lipscomb in Milwaukee in the opening round in the South Region.
