This Area Projects to be Early Strength for Iowa State Basketball Next Season

What area could be a strength for the Iowa State Cyclones next season?

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) shoots in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones saw their season come to an end in the Sweet 16 with a loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. While it might have been a disappointing way to go out, the team should be optimistic about the future. 

With the season coming to a close for the Cyclones, there were certainly a lot of positives from what was a fantastic year. This was a program that was ranked as one of the best in the country for most of the campaign and was very deserving of being a two-seed in the NCAA tournament. 

Unfortunately, an injury to star forward Joshua Jefferson in the opening minutes of their game against the Tennessee State Tigers likely changed their tournament fate. Without Jefferson, the Cyclones were outmatched against the Volunteers in the Sweet 16. 

Now, while the loss is still going to be fresh for a little while, the program will have to start looking forward to the transfer portal and also setting up their recruiting class. Iowa State is set to lose some key players like Tamin Lipsey, Jefferson, and Nate Heise. Replacing that type of production won’t be easy, but the team does have an early strength heading into next year. 

Backcourt Will Be a Strength

Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

While losing Lipsey will be a tough blow for the program, the team is fortunate that they will have a returning starter in their backcourt next year. Killyan Toure had a very impressive freshman season and undoubtedly gained a ton of experience starting alongside one of the best to ever do it in Ames. 

Toure quickly emerged as one of the best defensive players in the Big 12 and was a difference-maker on that end of the court. While he had a rough patch offensively, he did find his groove a bit in the NCAA tournament. As a freshman starter, the ceiling for Toure as a sophomore is going to be very high. 

Furthermore, while Toure might have been the starter all year, Jamarion Batemon also played a significant role for the team as a freshman. The other projected starter for next year was a bit more of a factor for the Cyclones on the offensive end of the court and was a good shooter from beyond the arc. 

Both of these players logged some major minutes as freshmen, and this should be the starting backcourt for the team during the 2026-27 campaign. If that ends up being the case, Iowa State could have one of the best backcourts in the conference with two returning key players.