Iowa State Basketball Should Be Concerned About Transfer Portal Ranking

Coming off another Sweet 16 appearance, the Iowa State Cyclones have emerged as one of the most consistent programs in the country. Now, after a great campaign, they will be a very different-looking group next season.

This past year, it felt like the Cyclones had all of the makings of being a Final Four contender. Iowa State was a veteran group that had a fantastic trio and a lot of experience. Unfortunately, the team lost Joshua Jefferson in the opening minutes of their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, and that altered their trajectory.

After the campaign came to a close, the Cyclones knew that they were going to be losing key players like Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey, and Nate Heise. Furthermore, star shooter Milan Momcilovic elected to declare for the NBA Draft while entering the transfer portal.

Momcilovic elected to come back to college, but will be playing for the Kentucky Wildcats next year. This is a significant loss for the Cyclones, but they were very active in the transfer portal, trying to bring in talent. Iowa State added five new players, and the depth of the team appears to be really strong heading into next year. However, recent rankings of their portal additions could be a concern.

Iowa State Should Be Concerned About Transfer Portal Rankings

Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger on the sidelines — Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger | David Banks-Imagn Images

Despite having what appeared to be a strong showing in the portal, the Cyclones not being ranked as one of the top teams for their additions is a major concern. If Iowa State only added a couple of players, it really wouldn’t have been too big a deal. However, since Iowa State added five players, it is concerning that they weren’t ranked in the top 13.

While the additions look strong and the team has a lot of depth now, they might be lacking some of the star power that they had last year. Losing their top three players is going to be a tough adjustment for the Cyclones, and while depth is good, they will need players to improve.

Fortunately, they do have some good young players coming back. In the backcourt, the team will be relying on Killyan Toure and Jamarion Batemon to have strong sophomore seasons after being key contributors last year as freshmen. Even though their portal ranking might not be where they want it to be, the Cyclones have a great system and a great coach and will get the most out of this roster.

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