Oklahoma State Has Work to Do to Make NCAA Tournament

The Pokes are firmly out of the tournament picture just a couple of weeks into Big 12 play.

Dec 13, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz watches his team play against the Oklahoma Sooners during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s hopes of making the NCAA Tournament are still intact, but it needs some help over the next few weeks.

On Saturday night, Vyctorius Miller’s three free throws in the final seconds lifted OSU to a one-point win against Kansas State. Most importantly, his heroics were enough to keep OSU from suffering a crushing early-season defeat.

While a loss to the Wildcats wouldn’t have sunk the Pokes’ hopes of making it to the big dance entirely, a 1-4 conference record with consecutive losses at home to unranked opponents might have been close enough to a death sentence for Steve Lutz’s team to put OSU’s season on a dark path. Instead, that wild swing toward the end of the game has put OSU in a position to get some wins and get back on track in the coming weeks.

Considering the craziness of the Big 12 and the potential national title contenders in the conference, simply finishing .500 in conference play should be enough to get OSU in. Of course, that’s much easier said than done.

On Tuesday night, OSU will be in Fort Worth looking to take down TCU. The Horned Frogs won their conference opener against Baylor but have dropped four straight since, but they still enter as an 8.5-point favorite. 

After a crushing loss at TCU last season, the Cowboys will be looking to avoid that same fate and finally secure a road win in Big 12 play under Lutz, who still has an 0-12 record in those contests. 

Considering OSU’s recent struggles, it’s not exactly staggering to see that the Pokes aren’t even in the tournament picture going into their sixth Big 12 matchup. In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology for ESPN, OSU couldn’t even muster a spot on the next four out, effectively placing it outside the top 76 teams in the country.

After such a great nonconference run that saw OSU suffer only one loss, Big 12 play has hit the Cowboys hard. With a 2-3 record and no sustained success since the beginning of conference play, OSU has a long road ahead if it wants to get in.

Playing in a conference as strong as the Big 12 is a blessing and a curse. OSU will have plenty of opportunities to get its name back in the tournament picture, but that also means a plethora of contests against some of the top teams in the country.

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