OSU Basketball: Changes Coming to Big 12 Schedule Next Season
The grueling Big 12 schedule will not be any easier next season.
Oklahoma State is looking to have a bounce-back season in 2024-25. With new head coach Steve Lutz and plenty of movement in the transfer portal, OSU will look much different next year.
However, the people on the Cowboys’ bench will not be the only reason next season looks different. The Big 12 is adding four teams from the Pac-12 and extending the conference schedule.
Each team will have 20 conference games next season compared to only 18 in previous years. The change allows every team to play the other 15 while having a two-game series with five of those teams.
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The additional games will also mean less rest during conference play. According to a report from Jon Rothstein, the Cowboys will have no byes with the new schedule.
Every team will play 20 games by having two conference matchups every week. The conference slate will begin on December 30 and 31.
Last season, OSU played its first conference game on Jan. 6 when it hosted Baylor. With two more conference games and a plan of two games per week, the earlier start keeps the season on track to end as usual in mid-March.
With 20 conference games, OSU might need some luck from the schedule makers to make the leap it is hoping for. In a conference with Houston, Kansas, Arizona and other potential national title contenders, the teams the Cowboys have to face twice could go a long way in determining their fate.
In Mike Boynton’s final season, the Cowboys went only 4-14 in Big 12 games with one road win. For Lutz to compete in the conference, he will need to succeed in the conference’s hostile environments and beat some of the nation’s best.
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IVAN WHITE
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.