Cowboys Not Among Big 12's Nine Teams in ESPN's Latest Bracketology
Oklahoma State has struggled to return to its glory days, and next season might be another tough year.
Last season, OSU went 12-20 in coach Mike Boynton’s seventh season at the helm. With only one NCAA Tournament appearance in that span, OSU decided to go a different direction, opening its first coaching search since 2017.
After weeks of having a vacant position, the Cowboys hired Western Kentucky’s Steve Lutz to take over. Lutz has spent the past few months building a roster, mostly through the transfer portal, that he hopes can compete in a tough Big 12.
The Big 12 is considered by many to be the toughest conference in college basketball, and Joe Lunardi added to that perception in ESPN’s latest Bracketology. Unsurprisingly, OSU did not make the cut or even get into the conversation, but the Big 12 featured nine teams in the 68-team field.
Although the SEC and Big Ten each had 10 teams, the Big 12 dominated the high seeds. Of the 12 teams with a top-3 seed, the Big 12 has five teams, including two No. 1 seeds with Kansas and Houston.
Iowa State, Baylor and Arizona round out the other projected top-3 seeds. Meanwhile, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, BYU and Kansas State complete the conference’s selections.
Although the exact schedule for the Cowboys’ conference slate is yet to be released, they know their opponents for next season’s 20-game Big 12 schedule. In those 20 games, the Cowboys will have 12 matchups against the projected NCAA Tournament teams, split evenly with six games at home and on the road.
OSU might not be on the radar for the NCAA Tournament as the season nears, but a surprise run could be the team in a position for its first appearance since 2021.
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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.