Blake Buchanan Struggling in One Key Area With Iowa State Cyclones in Early Going

The Iowa State Cyclones are going to show patience with Blake Buchanan, who is struggling in one important area thus far.

Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones knew that they had some holes in their rotation to address this offseason. Despite returning the most points and minutes played in the Big 12, there was a lot of talent not coming back for the 2025-26 campaign.

Their top two scorers, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, weren’t coming back. Starting center Dishon Jackson transferred to the Pittsburgh Panthers. Brandton Chatfield exhausted his eligibility as well.

Replacing the dynamic backcourt scoring was going to be a challenge, but the entire frontcourt depth chart had to be replaced. When taking into account the plan for Joshua Jefferson to exclusively play the 4-spot, there were essentially 0 minutes returning in the middle.

That is what made the addition of Blake Buchanan on the transfer portal so important. He chose the Cyclones after leaving the Virginia Cavaliers, but he is struggling in one major facet to adjust to his new team: defensively.

Blake Buchanan struggling to adjust to Iowa State defensive scheme

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

"I didn't switch as much at Virginia," he said via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required). "So, when you do that, learning to guard the guards and not foul. Keep them in front of me. There's a lot more ball coverages. Like, at Virginia, it's just left or right and there's a hard hedge here. So, I have to call ice, I've got to call weak. That's kind of been the hard thing, figuring out what to call the different things."

The pack-line defense that Virginia has become known for is much different from the scheme that T.J. Otzelberger uses at Iowa State. They have an aggressive scheme that involves a lot of trapping and requirements from a big man that Buchanan is still adjusting to.

Fouling was an issue for him with the Cavaliers, averaging 2.3 per game despite playing only 22 minutes per game. The timing of his infractions is sometimes brutal, as was the case in the opener against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.

Buchanan committed two fouls in the first half, which basically had him attached to the bench for most of the first 20 minutes. He would play only 14 minutes, committing four fouls to go along with four points, two rebounds and two steals.

The New Guys Brought It This Week.#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/MGbvipa51y

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) November 5, 2025

What the Cyclones are asking him to do defensively differs greatly from what he was asked to do the last two years. Ball screens, pressure defense and dropping back into rim protection require a lot of repetition, knowing not only his role but where his teammates will be.

The most successful defenses look like all five players are moving along the same string. Iowa State has been elite on that end of the court under Otzelberger and he is confident Buchanan will figure things out.

"I'm confident that he'll produce a lot more than what we've seen to this point," Otzelberger said. "I've got tremendous confidence in him. I'm excited to him in a rhythm out there and stack some minutes."

Buchanan is key to things operating at maximum efficiency for the Cyclones. He doesn’t have to worry about losing his spot right now, but the team does have intriguing depth with fellow transfer Eric Mulder and freshman Dominykas Pleta behind him.