Oklahoma State's Win at UCF Could Propel Late-Season Run

The Cowboys need to turn their latest win into some lasting momentum.

Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (9) celebrates with fans after a BIG 12 men's college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the BYU Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State earned a gritty overtime win, and it could be the start of an inspiring run.

Over the next couple of weeks, teams from around the country will be looking to go from out of the NCAA Tournament picture to surprise Cinderellas. March is all about the mayhem that happens in the conference tournament and beyond, and the Cowboys are hoping to find a bit of the madness that everyone loves this time of year.

Firmly in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings, OSU is far from a contender in the conference title picture. However, it only needs a couple of weeks of magic to go from NIT-bound to a loveable Cinderella story.

After all, there will be a few teams across the country that get to be the center of those stories, so why not the Cowboys? 

The main reason OSU won’t be the next one of those stories is that it simply doesn’t have much of a chance to win the conference tournament. As great of a story as it would be, the Big 12 might simply be too tough for the Cowboys to navigate in Kansas City, especially considering OSU may very well have to win the whole thing to get to the big dance.

On the other hand, the Big 12 isn’t just top-heavy. The conference is incredibly deep, and coaches from around the league will consistently say anyone can beat anyone on any given night in any arena. 

So, that might be OSU’s best chance of winning the conference is for some of the top contenders to get knocked off before the Cowboys end up on that part of their tournament path. Still, even if OSU gets a somewhat favorable draw and gets some luck along the way, competing for a Big 12 crown without Parsa Fallah in the picture seems nearly impossible.

Sure, OSU secured a win without him on the road against a team looking to make it into the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday. However, that win might not mean too much, given the Cowboys’ current standing in the conference.

Wednesday’s win was an impressive response after the embarrassing performance against Cincinnati, but the Cowboys need these types of performances consistently. Saturday’s game against Houston will be OSU’s ultimate test. 

If it can beat the Cougars and enter the Big 12 Tournament with some momentum, OSU could be ready to make a run, but only time will tell where the Pokes land.