Iowa State Cyclones Men's Basketball Has One Major Edge Over Big 12 Competition

Compared to their Big 12 rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones hold a major edge in one important area heading into the men's basketball season.

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The Iowa State Cyclones have done a wonderful job handling the ever-changing landscape of recruiting in men’s basketball. They have suffered some losses in the transfer portal, such as Dishon Jackson departing and joining the Pittsburgh Panthers.

But they have done a wonderful job filling the void and adding talent to the roster as well. To help replace Jackson, they brought in Blake Buchanan from the Virginia Cavaliers and Eric Mulder from Purdue Fort Wayne.

With their top two scorers from last season, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, no longer with the program, they snagged Dominick Nelson from Utah Valley. Freshmen Jamarion Batemon and Killyan Toure will also help fill the backcourt void.

That is a lot of rotation players and production that isn’t returning from the 2024-25 squad, but the Cyclones remain in a great spot. Compared to their Big 12 competition, they are going to hold a major edge in continuity and chemistry heading into the campaign.

Iowa State has major continuity edge entering season

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T.J. Otzelberger has some spots in his rotation to fill, but he is bringing back plenty of familiar faces. Star point guard Tamin Lipsey, a Preseason All-Big 12 Team selection, is running the show on both ends of the court.

Forwards Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson are back and expected to take on bigger roles. As is wing Nate Heise, entering Year 6 of his collegiate career with expectations on the rise.

That core makes up a large portion of the 52% of the minutes returning from last year’s team and 47% of the scoring. A massive advantage is created by Iowa State’s ability to retain key contributors compared to its conference peers.

As shared by Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required), there isn’t another Big 12 school that is returning more than 37% of minutes from the 2024-25 season. The BYU Cougars are the only other team, along with Iowa State, returning at least 40% of their scoring.

Iowa State has to take advantage early in season

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Those teams will have plenty of non-conference games to build chemistry and cohesion in. But it is nice for Otzelberger that he is starting so far ahead of the competition in two key areas.

Some early-season hiccups can certainly be expected from the Big 12 teams integrating so many new faces into the rotation. The Cyclones aren’t without some new and inexperienced players of their own, but having such a strong core to rely on in the early going will make the transition much easier.

Iowa State is being overlooked by some heading into the 2025-26 campaign, but having so many experienced players, especially a point guard of Lipsey’s caliber, presents them with a unique edge to capitalize on.