Oklahoma State Must Finish Season Strong Despite Parsa Fallah's Injury

The Cowboys can't let their big man's absence lead to a collapse.

Feb 24, 2026; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Parsa Fallah (22) passes the ball around West Virginia Mountaineers forward Brenen Lorient (0) during the first half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State isn’t in an ideal situation moving forward, but it must keep playing.

Over the next couple of weeks, OSU will wrap up its regular season and prepare for the Big 12 Tournament in mid-March. Of course, the Cowboys will be going through the final stages of the season without their top player.

On Tuesday night, Parsa Fallah landed awkwardly on a dunk in the final seconds of the win over West Virginia. On Wednesday, Fallah announced what everyone had feared: he suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the season.

Considering OSU had finally gotten back in the win column after a four-game losing streak, the news couldn’t have come at a worse time. OSU finally seemed like it was ready to build some momentum toward the end of the season and had a win to show for it, but this injury understandably has taken the wind out of the program’s sails.

Still, OSU’s final games will be played regardless of whether Fallah is on the floor or not. And all of those games will have a winner, but it’s up to OSU to decide how to attack the final stretch.

Getting wins in the Big 12 has proven to be an incredibly difficult challenge for Steve Lutz since he arrived in Stillwater. Of course, that feat won’t be getting any easier without his star player and big man out of the lineup.

Still, the Cowboys have enough talent that they might be able to compete in Big 12 games for the rest of the season. Had this injury happened earlier in the season, it might’ve been too much for OSU to overcome, both mentally and physically.

However, there’s a chance that OSU can rally around Fallah and go get some wins for him to end the season. After all, the Cowboys know that Fallah gave his heart and soul to the team every night he stepped on the floor, and his teammates could return that favor in a big way with some inspired performances to end the season.

Of course, this injury might just be too demoralizing for OSU to overcome. Just like Fallah’s attitude on the floor could serve as an inspiration for his teammates, his absence could also simply lead to the Pokes falling flat without his energy.

The season will continue without Fallah, and the Cowboys will have to ensure that they can compete without their big man.