Big 12 Tournament Loss Just Another Example of Oklahoma State's Struggles

The Cowboys couldn't get it done in their final game of the season.

Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Steve Lutz speaks with Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jaylen Curry (0) during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s season is effectively over, and it was one of the strangest in recent program history.

Since Steve Lutz arrived in Stillwater, the Cowboys haven’t quite had the surge of success they were hoping for, but year two brought some positive signs. After starting the season as one of the last remaining unbeatens in the country before falling for the first time in mid-December, the Cowboys were unable to capture that magic again.

On Wednesday night, the Cowboys were served another reminder that their early-season magic was simply not coming back as they lost a tight one to TCU in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. After winning against Colorado on Tuesday in the first round, OSU’s matchup against TCU followed a similar script to the teams’ two regular season meetings, both close wins for the Horned Frogs. 

Although OSU had come into the Big 12 Tournament as a long shot to make the NCAA Tournament, losses by a large portion of teams on the bubble started to open a window for the Cowboys if they were able to make a deep run. While there were some promising signs for the Cowboys against TCU throughout the night, they eventually ran out of gas and couldn’t deliver in the closing minutes to fall in their final meaningful game of the season.

From here, OSU has some decisions to make ahead of the offseason, mostly hinging on whether the team is interested in playing in a tournament other than the NCAA Tournament. After playing a few games in the NIT last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Pokes accept their inevitable invite from college basketball’s second-most notable postseason tournament.

Of course, any games the Cowboys play in the NIT probably wouldn’t mean much for the program and would ultimately just delay the start of another important offseason for Lutz and the program. Sure, playing more games could be beneficial to any returning players, but with how quickly rosters change in this era of college basketball, it would probably be wise to sit out any postseason opportunities and move on from most of this roster, considering its consistent shortcomings in Big 12 play.

Overall, this was an intriguing season that almost brought the fans back into the arena. With a few more wins next season, the Cowboys might be ready to take a leap and get the program back on track, but for now, 2025-26 will just go down as another season of disappointment in Stillwater.