Iowa State Cyclones Reveal Starting Lineup for Exhibition Against Creighton Bluejays

The Iowa State Cyclones start their exhibition season against the Creighton Bluejays on Friday. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has revealed the team's starting lineup.

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

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team will take the court for the first time this season on Friday night against the Creighton Bluejays. It will be the first of two exhibition games played before the regular season gets underway on Nov. 3 against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.

These exhibition games will be a great opportunity for head coach T.J. Otzelberger to experiment with lineup combinations that he could use once things start to count for real. Playing against an opponent in a live game setting will also provide the team with a chance to develop some chemistry.

The most important part of these games will be getting young players some experience and acclimating them to the system. There are plenty of first-time collegiate players who will be taking the court for the Cyclones on Friday.

Who will be starting for Iowa State against Creighton?

Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of them, Killyan Toure, will be featured in the starting lineup. As shared by Cyclone Fanatic on X, the starting five for the first preseason game has been revealed.

The backcourt pairing is going to raise some eyebrows. Veteran Nate Heise will join Toure at shooting guard. The frontcourt trio is what everyone has expected it to be with Milan Momcilovic, Joshua Jefferson and Blake Buchanon.

Starters for Friday night;
Killyan Toure
Nate Heise
Milan Momcilovic
Joshua Jefferson
Blake Buchanan

— Cyclone Fanatic (@cyclonefanatic) October 16, 2025

Toure, an international prospect, is sliding into the spot that will be held by Tamin Lipsey. Working his way back from a knee injury, he still has a little bit of rehab to complete before getting back on the court.

Positive updates have been provided for the senior point guard, who was doing work in the pool and some light jogging last week. He sounds confident that he will be back in the lineup by opening night.

Seeing Heise joining Toure in the backcourt will surprise some people. Many projections believe top 100 recruit Jamarion Batemon would be in the starting lineup as the second guard. That could certainly still happen, but for the first exhibition game, it will be Heise getting a look alongside Toure.

2⃣3⃣ Idaho's Finest 🥔#Cyclones | #C5C | @blake_buchanan4 pic.twitter.com/Nex3B0x1sb

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) October 11, 2025

It will be interesting to see how Otzelberger handles minutes in the frontcourt. Playing time is available with Dishon Jackson transferring to the Pittsburgh Panthers, Brandton Chatfield graduating and the plan for Jefferson being him at the 4-spot almost exclusively.

Buchanan, a transfer from the Virginia Cavaliers, has been the projected starter for weeks. Fellow transfer Eric Mulder and freshman Dominykas Pleta will be battling it out for minutes behind him.

No conclusions can be made from one exhibition game, but it will be worth keeping an eye on what combinations Otzelberger goes with in the live action of the season. Toure will be a player people pay especially close attention to as a potential long-term replacement for Lipsey.