Breaking Down the Cowboys' Big 12 Opponents For 2024-25
Oklahoma State has its first glimpse into the Big 12 schedule for next season.
On Thursday, the Big 12 released home-and-away opponents for men’s and women’s basketball. As the Cowboys enter the first season of the Steve Lutz era, they will also enter the first season with 20 conference games.
Next season, OSU is slated to play all 15 opponents in the conference, with five only at home, five only on the road and five opponents home and away. With half of the conference schedule coming against five of OSU’s 15 Big 12 opponents, those matchups will likely shape the Cowboys’ placement in the conference standings.
Last season, OSU went 4-14 in the Big 12 with wins against West Virginia, Kansas State, BYU and Cincinnati. The Cowboys’ win against the Bearcats was their only road win last season, and they must improve in this area next season to be competitive in the conference.
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With only road games against projected tournament teams BYU, Baylor and Kansas, the Cowboys will need to capitalize on their road matchups against TCU and West Virginia.
A split with each of their home-and-away opponents would be a success. However, with playing a likely top-five team in Houston twice, OSU might need to sweep its series with one of the other teams to break even.
OSU will play the conference’s new additions from the Pac-12 five times, including a home game against each team. Utah will be the only new 2025 addition that OSU faces twice next year. The Cowboys will also avoid trips to Iowa State and Arizona next season, which could be significant for them.
OSU only had a winning conference record once in Mike Boynton’s seven seasons. Considering the possibilities, OSU ended up with a relatively favorable split in opponents, which could aid the Cowboys’ hopes of at least staying away from the bottom of the conference standings.
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IVAN WHITE
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.