Baylor Matchup Could Give Glimpse Into Rest of Oklahoma State's Season
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Oklahoma State has been one of the country’s toughest teams to predict thus far, but its next matchup could go a long way in determining where the team might finish.
Over the nonconference slate, Steve Lutz’s Cowboys mostly dominated. After suffering their first loss in mid-December to Oklahoma in Bedlam, the Cowboys were able to remain unbeaten the rest of the way until conference play.
Of course, conference play is typically difficult for any college team, but playing in the Big 12 is simply a different animal than playing in any other conference. In OSU’s first three games of Big 12 play, it had to face three ranked opponents.
After a blowout loss to Texas Tech on the road, the Cowboys were able to knock off No. 25 UCF in Stillwater. While the momentum from that win nearly carried the Cowboys to a win in Ames, getting over the hump in the second half against No. 3 Iowa State on the road was too tough a task for the Pokes.
With three ranked opponents out of the way, the Cowboys will finally host an unranked squad in conference play as Baylor heads into Gallagher-Iba Arena on Tuesday night. While Scott Drew’s squad is typically a player in the Big 12 and has been a national contender several times, this season hasn’t quite gone according to plan for the Bears.
In their first three Big 12 games, they’ve suffered three losses. While Houston and Iowa State account for two of those losses, it’s clear that Baylor probably isn’t in that top echelon of the conference this season, putting them right next to the Cowboys in the Big 12 hierarchy.
In ESPN’s latest Bracketology, Joe Lunardi has Baylor as the No. 72 team and OSU as the No. 73 team, putting both on the outside portion of the bubble. Obviously, with how tight the Big 12 is and how much top-end talent the conference has, this matchup could be a massive game for both squads when looking at resumes in a couple of months.
If OSU can pull away against Baylor and get a convincing win, it could show that the Pokes are more than ready to take the next step and be a competitive Big 12 team with a solid shot at making the tournament. However, a loss to Baylor in Gallagher-Iba Arena could put the Pokes on a dark path, even if Lutz and company are only a few games into conference play.
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.