2027 Should be NCAA Tournament or Bust for Oklahoma State

The Cowboys must get back into the postseason.

Feb 7, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz watches from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State has been in a rough spot for far too long, and next season could be make or break for Steve Lutz.

Over the past decade, OSU men’s basketball has been an embarrassment to the history of the program. With only one NCAA Tournament appearance in the past nine seasons, the Cowboys have been unable to put together any sustained success since Brad Underwood bolted for Illinois in the 2017 offseason.

While Mike Boynton’s seven seasons at the helm resulted in only one NCAA Tournament appearance, he also had a couple of close calls and some seasons that went off the rails due to issues well beyond his control. Now, with Steve Lutz done with his second season in Stillwater, the Cowboys should have some big expectations for next year.

In Lutz’s first season at the helm, he was dealt a rough hand. Getting hired a bit late in the recruiting cycle and having to put together a team that didn’t quite fit his ideal level of play, Lutz was in a bit of a disadvantage coming into the 2024-25 season.

Yet, the Cowboys still managed a 7-3 record in Big 12 home games and made a solid run in the NIT. With a full offseason to take care of things and a roster with much more individual talent, the Cowboys had a chance to take a leap in 2025-26. Of course, that didn’t happen.

While OSU finished with a better overall record at 20-15, the Cowboys had similar success against Big 12 competition, finishing with a 6-12 mark, which was actually slightly worse than 2025’s 7-13 record.

Sure, this team was good enough to take care of business against awful no-name schools in November and December while mixing in a solid win or two along the way. However, there was no real competitiveness against the top teams in the Big 12, and OSU consistently blew any opportunities it had to get into the NCAA Tournament discussion in the final weeks of the year.

As next season eventually gets closer, the expectations for OSU should be as high as they’ve been since Cade Cunningham was in town. With two years of trial and error to build off, there’s no excuse for OSU to not make the NCAA Tournament next season.

While he’s only been in town for a small amount of time, Lutz’s tenure as OSU’s coach might depend on his ability to get the program to the big dance in year three.