Oklahoma State Needs to Build on Early Big 12 Performance

The Cowboys have had a couple of solid games, but they can't be satisfied with their current position.

Jan 10, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) defends Oklahoma State Cowboys center Parsa Fallah (22) during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State suffered another loss in Big 12 play, but it was far from a concerning sign for the Cowboys.

On Saturday, OSU went into Hilton Coliseum in Ames and looked to knock off the No. 3 team in the country. Through a half of play, the Pokes were in great position to make that upset a reality.

Of course, dealing with such a tough environment and the Hilton Magic, the Cowboys weren’t able to make that elusive run in the second half. Over the final 20 minutes, Iowa State slowly and steadily built its lead into double figures, putting the Cowboys just out of striking distance by the time the final minutes rolled around.

While stopping Iowa State was quite difficult for the Cowboys in the 83-71 loss, with the offense also sputtering at times against one of the nation’s best defenses. Despite all of the things that went wrong for the Cowboys, all of the things that were going OSU’s way made it possible for the Cowboys to even stick around in such a tough situation.

Overall, the box score paints a picture that the Pokes’ defense put together another solid performance. Considering what happened in Lubbock against Texas Tech just a week earlier, it’s hard to be all that critical of a game where OSU held the Cyclones to 5-of-16 from deep and 47% overall. 

However, allowing 83 points in conference play on the road probably won’t bode well in many situations for Steve Lutz’s club, particularly against a top three team. On the other hand, keeping the game tight while controlling the tempo for stretches is a great sign that OSU is headed in the right direction.

Most importantly, the Cowboys must keep this momentum going into their next few ball games. After a bit of a wake-up call against Texas Tech, OSU’s defensive intensity improved mightily against UCF and was clearly a key piece in keeping the matchup against Iowa State so tight.

After facing three ranked teams to begin the Big 12 slate, OSU won’t face another currently ranked team until the Cyclones make their way to Stillwater in two weeks. 

Of course, playing unranked teams doesn’t mean much in a conference as deep as the Big 12, but OSU will need to keep all of the good things going, even without the motivation of playing the best of the best over the next couple of weeks.

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