Oklahoma State Set for Pivotal Matchup at Cincinnati

The Cowboys' end to the season could be significantly impacted by this weekend's matchup.

Jan 10, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Steve Lutz watches his team play the Iowa State Cyclones during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s season is nearing its end, and any hopes of making the postseason will be significantly impacted by Saturday’s result.

This weekend, OSU will head out for its final road trip of the season, beginning with a matchup against Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon. After seeing Parsa Fallah’s season-ending injury in Tuesday’s win, the Cowboys will need to come together and play some of their best ball of the season to stay afloat in the race on the bubble.

Of course, the NCAA Tournament path for OSU may already be closed as far as an at-large bid is concerned. Maybe an undefeated finish to the regular season coupled with a solid conference tournament run could do the trick, but that path has simply become much more far-fetched since Fallah’s injury.

At this point, it appears likely that OSU’s only chance of making the big dance will be to win the Big 12 Tournament and secure the conference’s automatic bid. However, there’s still a lot that OSU needs to show over the final games of the regular season to prove it can even compete and be in the running for some sort of Cinderella finish to the season.

That’s part of why Saturday’s matchup against the Bearcats is so important. Not only will OSU be looking to get another win, it will be looking to prove that it can still compete in the Big 12 without its star big man.

Fallah was critical for the Cowboys all season in numerous areas, and it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see OSU finish the year winless without him. Yet, there’s still a chance that OSU finally realizes its potential on the perimeter and strings together enough defense to make some sort of late-season push.

Of course, if OSU goes into Cincinnati and gets blown out, it will be a clear sign that this season is a wash. After all, everything is already trending in that direction, and Fallah’s injury was likely the final blow, but a big loss would all but confirm it.

On the other hand, OSU going into Cincinnati and walking out with a win could be a massive confidence booster that serves as the catalyst for OSU’s final two games of the regular season. It certainly doesn’t appear likely that OSU can still make a push for the big dance, but it will be much easier to see where the Cowboys are headed after this weekend.