What Oklahoma State's Mike Boynton Can Do to Save His Job
Oklahoma State could go in another direction soon, but it is not a foregone conclusion.
OSU coach Mike Boynton has led the program since Brad Underwood left for Illinois in the 2017 offseason. After Boynton got out to an exciting start as head coach, OSU has stalled and success has been hard to find.
The Cowboys have reached the NCAA Tournament only one time under Boynton. Their lone appearance came in 2021 with No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham on the roster.
In 2021-22, OSU faced a postseason ban and never regathered the momentum it built from the season with Cunningham. That slide has led to OSU’s spot this season. It sits last in the Big 12 with an 11-14 overall record.
The Cowboys’ struggles this season have caused many to speculate about the viability of Boynton as head coach beyond this season. Among injuries and a passionate rant about OSU’s NIL spending, Boynton has navigated a strange season.
Despite those struggles, Boynton’s path to keeping his job after this season is simple. However, simple does not necessarily mean easy.
Getting to the NCAA Tournament or even making a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament should be enough to keep him in charge into 2025. To make the NCAA Tournament, OSU would need the automatic bid from winning the conference tournament.
If the Cowboys can not get out of the bottom four of the conference, they would have to win five games in the tournament in five days. That is a nearly impossible task for any team, meaning Boynton’s best chance is to finish the regular season strong.
After beating a ranked team for the first time on Saturday, OSU might have momentum going into its final six matchups. With games against opponents such as Oklahoma and Texas Tech remaining, OSU could quickly regain the support of the fanbase.
Simply put, if the fans do not pressure the program to make a change, OSU is unlikely to go on the difficult journey of finding a new head coach.
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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.