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The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is going to have a lot of new faces in its rotation for the 2026-27 season.
Tamin Lipsey, Nate Heise, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson were key parts of the rotation who aren’t returning. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger did a great job of restocking the roster, bringing in five players from the transfer portal and three from the Class of 2026.
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All four departing players were starters for the Cyclones at points last season. There have been some predictions about how the starting five would look next season, with one suggested combination being Jaquan Johnson, Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon, Tre Singleton and Blake Buchanan.
While a solid quintet for sure, there will be some obstacles for that group to overcome. Here are three reasons that starting five won’t work.
Not Enough 3-Point Shooting
Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) celebrates after a play during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images
It is impossible to expect someone to replicate the shooting season Momcilovic had this past year. A team effort will be required to replace his production from beyond the arc, and some players can certainly get it done, but this starting five would struggle from deep.
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Johnson and Batemon are the only real threats from 3-point range in that group. Singleton made only 16.7% of his attempts as a freshman with the Northwestern Wildcats and Buchanan isn’t going to draw attention out there either.
Toure is the x-factor in this regard. His confidence was on the rise near the end of his freshman year. If he can push toward 35% in Year 2, it would make a massive difference.
Lack of Perimeter Size
Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0) dribbles while defended by Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) in the first half during a Sweet…
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Publish date : 2026-06-19 18:00:00
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