Tough Big 12 Schedule Set to Begin for Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State has had a rough start to the season but is turning things around as conference play begins.
The Cowboys will face the No.18 Baylor in Stillwater to open their Big 12 schedule on Saturday. Although they have not played their best basketball this season, the Cowboys’ game against Baylor begins a stretch of must-win games.
Calling games “must-win” in early January while OSU sits 0-0 in Big 12 play could seem like an exaggeration, but it is far from it. Over OSU’s first seven games, only two will come against opponents currently ranked in the AP poll, both at home.
Along with the game against the Bears on Saturday, the No. 2 Kansas Jayhawks will visit Gallagher-Iba Arena on Jan. 16. However, the Cowboys have not won in Stillwater against the Jayhawks since 2021 and have not beaten the Bears at home since 2015.
OSU’s other three of the opening five games will be on the road. Although OSU won only three road games in the Big 12 last season, those wins included their first two road opponents in 2024, Texas Tech and Iowa State.
While OSU’s first seven games feature its easiest stretch of the season, a Jan. 30 matchup at Kansas leads into a gauntlet schedule in February. That month includes a three-game stretch of games against top-12 teams at Houston and Oklahoma before returning home to play BYU.
Pulling upsets in some of those games will be necessary for the Cowboys to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. With nine of 18 conference games against ranked opponents, it could be coach Mike Boynton’s last chance to prove he can win in the nation’s toughest conference.
To do so, Boynton will rely on a couple of veteran guards, Javon Small and Bryce Thompson. As the team’s two leading scorers, OSU will need big outings from both players to pull some of those upsets.
After a struggle to start the season, those guards have helped the Cowboys become a solid 3-point shooting team. Shooting 37.5% as a team, five Cowboys are shooting at least 40% from beyond the arc.
Although with an inexperienced frontcourt, winning in the Big 12 will be tough. Still, freshmen Eric Dailey Jr. and Brandon Garrison have been valuable contributors in the starting lineup.
Soon, the Cowboys will find out if they have the firepower to compete in the Big 12. But as long as they can execute from outside and get good minutes from most of the rotation, OSU may earn a non-losing conference record for just the second time since Boynton took over.
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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.