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.

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

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.

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 who will take over Momcilovic’s role as the 3-point shooter. He knocked down 37% of his attempts from long-range as a freshman and will be counted on to assume a much bigger role as a sophomore.

Also, the three-guard lineup is one that can create a lot of havoc for opposing teams defensively. Otzelberger plays an aggressive, trapping style of defense that Lipsey, Toure and Batemon have all proven capable of excelling in; Johnson should thrive in the style of play as well.

All of them may be undersized to defend wings, but Toure has a wingspan of at least 6-foot-9 and can handle himself against some players there. Batemon was up for the challenge as well, while Lipsey and Johnson are bulldogs who play much bigger than they are listed.

Similar to last season’s team, Otzelberger is going to have players who are capable of starting but coming off the bench. This is the deepest team that he has had, with Leon Bond III, Ryan Prather, Taj Manning and Dominykas Pleta anchoring the second unit for now, and one of the guards joining them down the line when Toure is healthy.