One of the advantages that the 2025-26 Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team had going into the season was its continuity.
Tamin Lipsey was entering Year 4 with the program. Milan Momcilovic was in Year 3 and Joshua Jefferson was in Year 2. Nate Heise was coming off the bench and in his second campaign with Iowa State.
That is a lot of experience under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, but such a pronounced advantage doesn't exist this year. Four rotation players are returning: Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon, Dominykas Pleta and Blake Buchanan. They are all in Year 2 with the Cyclones and will be the backbone of this roster.
They will play prominent roles in the rotation, but there are massive voids to fill in the starting lineup with Lipsey, Momcilovic and Jefferson all gone. Who will take over those spots? James Fletcher III of One3 has shared his prediction for the Iowa State starting lineup, and it includes multiple transfers.
Iowa State predicted starting lineup revealed
A three-guard lineup is predicted. This alignment is something that Otzelberger tinkered with at points during the 2025-26 season, deploying Lipsey, Toure and Batemon together. Fletcher believes that will now become a staple, with Jaquan Johnson stepping into the Lipsey role.
A transfer from the Bradley Braves, he is an ideal replacement for Lipsey as a two-way impact player. The Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year, it will be interesting to see if he can continue producing at a high level despite his stature, measuring in at under 6 feet tall.
Taking Momcilovic's spot in the starting five is Batemon. His skill set, at least offensively, is a good replacement. Expecting historic shooting numbers from the second-year player is unrealistic, but if he can improve on the 37% he shot as a freshman, that is a great start.
He will bring a little more versatility to the defensive side of the ball as well. Despite being listed as six inches shorter than Momcilovic, Batemon has better on-ball defensive skills. Playing alongside two incredible perimeter defenders in Johnson and Toure, this unit is going to make opponents work.
Cyclones will be relying heavily on transfers on 2026-27
Joining Buchanan in the frontcourt will be Singleton. He was viewed as a Jefferson replacement in the transfer portal, and it would only be natural for him to take that spot over in the starting lineup as well.
A borderline top 100 prospect in the Class of 2025, securing a commitment from Singleton in the transfer portal was arguably the biggest win of the offseason for Otzelberger. His upside is immense, and after seeing the improvements Jefferson made in his game over two years, excitement is on the rise for the Indiana product.
That is a great blend of skill sets in the starting five. There might be some concerns with the lack of perimeter size and 3-point shooting, but that group would certainly bring it and set the tone from the opening tip every game.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/iowa-state as Multiple Iowa State Basketball Transfers Rightfully Predicted To Start.