Iowa State’s backcourt is taking hits from every direction as training camp approaches, and the timing couldn’t be worse for T.J. Otzelberger’s group.
Killyan Toure is the biggest name in the mix. The sophomore suffered a shoulder injury this summer that required surgery, and he’s expected to be out until mid-to-late January. For a player projected to carry a major load this season, that’s a tough break.
But Toure isn’t the only guard dealing with health issues. Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required), reported that transfer Ryan Prather Jr. has also been fighting through a hip issue that started this summer. With Toure out, Prather is in line for an even bigger role as Iowa State’s sixth man.
The injury list doesn’t stop there. Incoming freshman Yusef Gray Jr. is still working back from a shoulder injury he suffered during his senior year of high school, while another member of the Class of 2026, Christian Wiggins, will miss the 2026-27 season because of an injury.
There was at least one bit of good news for Cyclones fans: Tamin Lipsey could be back. An Indiana court ruling that named Lipsey has deemed him eligible, for now, to play another season at Iowa State.
That would matter a lot with Toure sidelined, but Lipsey has his own recovery to manage. He recently suffered a knee injury while playing for the Indiana Pacers in NBA summer league competition. During his Iowa State career, he’s dealt with several injuries, though they rarely kept him off the floor for long.
With a few weeks left before the regular season starts, Iowa State still has time to sort through the damage. In the meantime, there are a couple of guards who may need to carry the load.
Jamarion Batemon, entering Year 2 in Ames, is expected to step into a much bigger role. As a freshman, he wasn’t used much with the ball in his hands and spent more time as an off-ball guard.
Jaquan Johnson, a transfer from the Bradley Braves, was already seen as a Lipsey replacement. Now, with Toure out, he could end up sharing the backcourt with him.
In Other News...
Iowa States Defensive Identity Took A Hit In Big 12 Opener
Iowa States Big 12 opener against No. 15 Utah was a reminder that the defense still has to earn its reputation every week, especially when the game starts getting played in space. The Cyclones fell 31-17, and the biggest concern after the loss was not just the final margin but the way Utah repeatedly found room after the catch and after missed contact, with head coach Jimmy Rogers and linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen both pointing to tackling and angles as the issues that let the game slip early.
The Cyclones did settle in some after halftime, but the damage had already been done with 24 first-half points allowed, and that left Iowa State chasing a team that was able to sustain drives while the defense was still trying to clean up the basics. On the other side, Jaylen Raynor put together a career day with his completions, attempts and passing yards, which only sharpened the contrast between a defense that improved later and one that spent too much of the afternoon giving Utah easy answers. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Just Proved It Can Win Even When Everything Gets Tough
Week 4 in the Big 12 brought the kind of messy, physical football that usually tells you a lot about a team, and UCF fit right into that picture by finding a way to come out on top. Around the league, Texas Tech, Baylor, Houston, Utah, Oklahoma State, Arizona and Cincinnati also handled their business, but the Knights stood out because their win came in a game where the margin for error seemed to shrink as things got tougher.
For an Iowa State fan reading the conference board, that matters because the Big 12 rarely gives anyone an easy path, and UCF just showed it can survive one of those grind-it-out afternoons. The rest of the week featured plenty of standout individual performances, from multiple-touchdown efforts to strong rushing and passing days, but UCFs result was the one that underscored a simple truth about this league - sometimes the most revealing wins are the ones that ask a team to adapt on the fly. [Read more 🡒]