Blake Buchanan Makes Official Decision on Future With Iowa State Basketball

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has lost a lot of contributors, including several stars and key role players, from their 2025-26 team.

Some exhausted eligibility, such as Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise and Eric Mulder. Others are in the transfer portal, like Dominick Nelson, Cade Kelderman, Mason Williams and Milan Momcilovic.

That is a lot of production and experience that head coach T.J. Otzelberger has to replace. But, he can rest a little easier knowing one of his starters who still has eligibility will be returning to Ames for another season.

Center Blake Buchanan recently made it official that he will be coming back to Iowa State. That was reportedly the case since the Cyclones' season ended in the Sweet 16 at the hands of the Tennessee Volunteers, but he made it official with a post on his Instagram account.

Will Blake Buchanan be back with Iowa State?

Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan during practice. — Mar 26, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) during a practice session ahead of the midwest regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images

This is great news for Otzelberger and Iowa State. Buchanan proved to be an excellent fit in his scheme on both ends of the floor, helping the team win 29 games during the 2025-26 campaign.

In 37 games played, with 36 starts, the transfer from the Virginia Cavaliers averaged 8.5 points on 63.6% shooting from the field, both of which were career highs. His 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.8 steals per game were also single-season bests.

Defensively, Buchanan stood out. His athleticism shone, capable of playing the aggressive trapping style of defense Otzelberger wanted. A 4.2 Defensive Box Plus/Minus was produced, which was 18th in the conference, and his defensive rating of 97.5 was 12th.

He was impactful on the interior, with his 211 total rebounds ranking 18th in the Big 12. 105 of those rebounds were on the offensive glass, which was fifth in the conference. His offensive rebound percentage of 13.8% was good for seventh, and his 14.0% total rebound percentage put him in 16th.

A one-man wrecking crew on the glass, his activity in the paint was infectious. However, adding some help on the interior was a main focus for Otzelberger this offseason.

Transfers Taj Manning, formerly of the Kansas State Wildcats, and Tre Singleton, formerly of the Northwestern Wildcats, are going to help fortify the frontcourt rotation, along with Dominykas Pleta returning for his sophomore season.

Don’t forget incoming freshman Jackson Kiss and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan in what will be a new-look frontcourt featuring a lot more size than this past season’s roster.

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