Former Cowboy Coaches Face Different Fates in Final Four

OSU's last two head coaches came away with different results with the national title game on the line.

Michigan assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. reacts to a play against Oakland during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Monday, November 3, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Two of Oklahoma State’s former coaches battled for a spot in the national title game, and it came with two different results. 

On Saturday night, the Final Four took center stage in the sports world with a couple of intriguing matchups with national title game berths on the line. The action tipped off with UConn beating Illinois before Michigan throttled Arizona in an uncompetitive matchup.

Although it was a bit of a blow to the Big 12 to see its final team standing take a beating, the night otherwise went about as perfectly as it could have for OSU fans. That, of course, is because the Cowboys’ two most recent head coaches before Steve Lutz were on the sidelines.

Before Lutz was hired, Mike Boynton spent seven seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach and was a beloved figure in the Stillwater community. Although his struggles as a head coach led to his eventual firing, his shortcomings on the court never changed the fact that OSU and its fans always viewed Boynton in a positive light.

Since departing Stillwater, Boynton has been an assistant coach at Michigan. In his second season on the sidelines for the Wolverines, Boynton is now just one win away from becoming a national champion. Considering all of the hard work he put in in Stillwater to try and get OSU back to an elite level, it’s no surprise that he’s already found himself in a situation like this as an assistant coach.

Now one game away from becoming a national champion, Stillwater will likely be rooting for Michigan and Boynton to win on Monday night. On the other side of Saturday’s results, OSU fans were also likely pleased to see Illinois get eliminated in the first game.

Before Boynton, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was head coach in Stillwater for one season. His abrupt departure after one year made him a villain of sorts for OSU fans, and it’s unlikely anyone in Stillwater was ready to see him become a national champion, even if it’s been nearly a decade since he left town.

As the college basketball season comes to an end on Monday night, the Cowboys will soon be able to turn their full focus toward the offseason and building a roster for next year. As Lutz and the Cowboys look to bounce back in 2026-27, the results of this season should remind OSU that the heights its former coaches are reaching could also be reached in Stillwater.