Oklahoma State Hoping for Breakthrough Season in 2026
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Oklahoma State has been one of the worst in the Big 12 in recent years, but next season could be the year it breaks through.
Over the past several years, success inside Gallagher-Iba Arena has been difficult to find for the Cowboys. Aside from a year where the nation’s top recruit called Stillwater home, OSU has been among the least successful power conference programs in the entire country.
Cade Cunningham’s 2021 campaign, which saw OSU secure a win in the NCAA Tournament, was seen as a building block at the time. However, the pandemic and the following postseason ban made it difficult for Mike Boynton to build any momentum.
Eventually, Boynton was fired after making the big dance just once in seven tries, setting the stage for Steve Lutz to take over. While his first year in Stillwater was an up-and-down road that ended in the NIT quarterfinals, there is something to say about the job he has done in just over a year in Stillwater.
Since Lutz was hired last offseason, there has been optimism surrounding the program and what the team could do moving forward. While there were plenty of rough moments last season, the Cowboys still showed they were capable of being somewhat competitive in the Big 12.
Of course, that competitiveness came from a roster that was mostly put together in the latter stages of the transfer portal window and featured almost no consistent scoring threats. While guys like Bryce Thompson or Abou Ousmane had their fair share of big games, they also had too many rough nights to give the Cowboys the consistency they needed in the Big 12.
OSU’s impressive home record was enough to get the Cowboys into the NIT, but a winless mark in Big 12 road games made any true progress difficult to find. Assuming the Cowboys’ mix of veterans and incoming freshmen can set the stage for a breakout season, Lutz could be coaching in the rowdiest Gallagher-Iba in over a decade.
There is still a lot OSU needs to improve as it inches toward the season, but the optimism surrounding the program is absolutely warranted.
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.