Oklahoma State Must Learn From This Season's February Collapse

The Cowboys need to take care of business in next season and beyond.

Feb 14, 2026; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Steve Lutz reacts to game play during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s path to the NCAA Tournament was somewhat straightforward, but it couldn’t meet expectations this season.

Over the first couple of months of the season, it seemed like a solid bet to pencil in OSU for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021. With only one loss in nonconference play in Steve Lutz’s second year at the helm, OSU looked well on its way to making it back to the big dance.

Of course, things began to unravel a bit as the season progressed. Losing to Texas Tech in the conference opener, things began to feel all too familiar for Cowboy fans, who have seen their team collapse against Big 12 competition for much of the past decade.

Despite some struggles against Big 12 foes, the Cowboys still managed to stay in and around the NCAA Tournament bubble through the first several conference games. Although there were some disappointing blowouts and blown leads in that stretch, the Cowboys still appeared to have a clear path to the big dance, which was only bolstered by an upset win over BYU in early February.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they couldn’t keep up that level of play. Immediately following the BYU win with a crushing losing streak, OSU soon went from the bubble to out of the tournament picture entirely. 

Every game in between wins against BYU and West Virginia became incredibly important. At first, those games were important for OSU’s tournament standing, but they soon became significant for OSU’s hopes of making the dance at all.

The failures on the floor throughout February are undeniably the reason OSU won’t be playing any meaningful postseason basketball beyond the Big 12 Tournament. In a conference as competitive as the Big 12 with so many teams vying for at-large bids, any lengthy losing streak will surely doom the Cowboys.

Moving forward, OSU simply has to find ways to be consistent in Big 12 play. Sure, playing top 10 teams on a regular basis isn’t always the easiest formula for success, but that level of competition won’t be changing anytime soon, so Lutz and company have to find ways ot avoid crushing stretches in future seasons.

The roster will surely change quite a bit in the offseason, but those who stick around, including the coaching staff, can’t forget how quickly things fell apart this season. The NCAA Tournament is a more than attainable goal for OSU, but it can’t afford to keep losing so many games in conference play.