Steve Lutz: Playing at Tulsa 'Almost a Home Game' for Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State won its first road game on Wednesday, but it was only a road game by definition.
The Cowboys won 76-55 at Tulsa to move to 5-2 this season and earn their first road win after winning only one game on the road last season. Their success this season has showcased the significant changes that occurred throughout the offseason.
Along with hiring Steve Lutz, the team has a roster filled with new players. Those changes have led OSU’s fanbase to get re-engaged in its support of the program. After making only one NCAA Tournament in seven seasons under Mike Boynton, there has been a new energy since Lutz arrived.
That energy was seen again on Wednesday. While the game wasn’t in Stillwater, the Reynolds Center looked like a sea of orange.
“I mean, this is almost a home game for us,” Lutz said. “And when we play Oklahoma at the Paycom Center in 10 days, it should be another, virtually, home game for us. We should travel well. We’ve got a huge contingent in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa, and hopefully, they came to the game and liked what they saw tonight so that now they’ll be traveling to Stillwater to support us there as well.”
Along with the arena looking like a sea of orange, it also sounded like one. Although it might seem like a shot at Tulsa to call a game at the Reynolds Center a home game, Lutz has plenty of evidence to back up his comments.
From the roars of the crowd when OSU would go on a run to an “orange power” chant in the final minutes, the game sounded similar to Gallagher-Iba Arena at times throughout the night.
“Tonight, I thought, was a huge step forward, and I really applaud the people for coming out and supporting us, but also for being loud,” Lutz said. “Because sometimes they’ll come, and the crowd is not into it, but I thought they were into it, especially when we gave them a reason to cheer. When our defense was good, they were excited.”
Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
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.