What Does The Cowboys' Blowout Loss Mean For The Rest Of The Season?

After the big loss to Arizona, what must the Cowboys do to try to make the NCAA Tournament?

Feb 7, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Anthony Roy (9) dribbles the ball down the court during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State got knocked off its mountain top fast.

The Cowboys walked into Arizona hoping to shock the world and hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season. OSU had some momentum going into this game as it recently knocked off No.16 BYU and looked to keep that positive play up. 

However, the Pokes quickly learned that Arizona is in a league of its own. Arizona absolutely dismantled the Cowboys, as they took this game 84-47. This was the lowest scoring total by the Cowboys all season and showcased just how far away the Pokes are from competing with the top dogs. 

Although Oklahoma State wasn’t able to pull off the upset of the year, what does this mean for the rest of the Cowboys' season? Quite simply, they need to win. 

The Pokes weren’t expected to take down the No.1 Wildcats by any means, but that would have been a huge addition to the Cowboys’ resume for an NCAA Tournament bid. Now, without the massive win, the Pokes must be almost perfect in games that are more attainable. 

OSU has two more opportunities to take down ranked opponents and add to its singular quad-one win. Luckily, both bouts are in Stillwater as Kansas comes to town Feb. 18, followed by Houston coming to town for the last game of the regular season. These two games will be circled on the Pokes calendar, as Oklahoma State is looking to prove that a ranking doesn’t scare them. 

It will be important that OSU wins at least one of these two matchups to give the Cowboys another push that moves them from the first four out to actually in the tournament. The best scenario would be a win in both matchups, but the Cowboys must ensure at least one more ranked win. 

Ranked wins do look better on a resume, but OSU can not look over six of its remaining eight games that are against unranked opponents. The Pokes have little room for mistakes in these matchups, as they are already fighting an uphill battle. 

Five of the six matchups will be against first-time opponents this season, but the remaining game will be against a TCU squad that OSU let a game slip away against. While the Cowboys must make sure their full attention is on each one of these games, their bout against TCU will need to be a showcase of how the Pokes should have never dropped that game. 

With the season ending soon, the Pokes are in win-at-all-costs mode. They only have limited opportunities to prove they deserve to be in the big dance come March, and they must capitalize on every one of them. 

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