Iowa State Basketball Predicted To Use Unique Starting Lineup

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has some massive voids to fill in its starting lineup this season.

Gone are two of the most productive players the program has seen in recent history: forwards Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson. Momcilovic transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats after a historic 3-point shooting season and Jefferson was selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.

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The Cyclones are fortunate that point guard Tamin Lipsey is eligible for a fifth season, as that is one less void to fill, especially because his replacement, Killyan Toure, is going to be sidelined because of a shoulder injury until mid-January.

Once he is healthy enough to play, that duo will once again be the starting backcourt for Iowa State. Who else will head coach T.J. Otzelberger deploy around them? At ESPN, a prediction was made about their starting lineup that will surprise some people.

Iowa State projected to use three-guard starting lineup

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) and Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) help Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) off the floor during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Expected to join Lipsey and Toure are Jamarion Batemon, Tre Singleton and Blake Buchanan. A three-guard lineup would certainly have pros and cons to sift through, starting with the lack of size on the perimeter.

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Lipsey, Toure and Batemon are all listed at 6-foot-3 or shorter. Jaquan Johnson, who could be tabbed as the starter in place of Toure until he is healthy enough to return, is listed at 5-foot-11. That would put a lot of pressure on Singleton and Buchanan to lock down the frontcourt when it comes to securing defensive rebounds to end possessions.

However, Batemon is a necessity in the starting five as the player…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/iowa-state-basketball-predicted-unique-203001861.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-23 20:30:00

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