Protecting Home Court Will be Cowboys' Key to NCAA Tournament Bid
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Oklahoma State has suffered some tough losses on the road early in Big 12 play, but taking care of business at home should solve the Pokes’ problems.
On Saturday, OSU lost to No. 3 Iowa State 83-71 in Ames to fall to 1-2 in Big 12 play. Of course, falling to one of the only unbeatens still remaining is far from something OSU should be disappointed about. Yet, those losses could continue to pile up on the road, considering how tough just about every road environment is in the conference.
While he’s only midway through his second season in Stillwater, Steve Lutz is no stranger to the difficulty of winning games away from home in the Big 12. Since taking over as OSU’s head coach, Lutz and the Cowboys are 0-13 in Big 12 games away from Stillwater, including losses at Texas Tech and Iowa State to begin this season.
While the matchup at the Red Raiders was an eye-opening blowout, the game against Iowa State was tight and showed that OSU could match up against some of the nation’s best, even if the end result didn’t fall the Pokes’ way. It also illustrated that even when the Cowboys are able to stay tight against a tough opponent, playing on the road could be just enough to push their matchup over the edge.
While the Cowboys can sometimes get overwhelmed by tough road environments, it will be critical for them to ensure that their opponents feel that way when they play at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Despite going winless in Big 12 road games last season, the Cowboys went a respectable 7-3 on their home floor against conference opponents.
Finding a way to put together a dominant record at home will be the key to getting back into the NCAA Tournament. After missing out on the big dance for the past five years, the Pokes are hoping to find their way back, and taking care of business at home will make any road wins even more useful for Lutz and company.
Of course, getting a rowdy crowd will be one of the pieces to that puzzle, but winning solves everything in sports, including OSU’s attendance problem. While the crowd was quite lackluster in OSU’s Big 12 home opener against UCF, the bigger matchups over the next few weeks should be enough to bring the rowdy back.
And if OSU can continue to get results on the court, both in Stillwater and on the road, Gallagher-Iba Arena could soon be a feared place for opponents to travel to again.
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.