Will Week Off Help Cowboy Basketball Get Back on Track?

The Cowboys need to find some consistency over the next few weeks.

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 is looking to make its way back to the NCAA Tournament, and it could take advantage of its next few days off.

On Saturday, OSU men’s basketball continued its skid on the hardwood with a loss against Iowa State. While the Cyclones were a top 10 squad and the final score looked like OSU put up a solid fight, OSU was trailing by 30 at halftime and was out of the game in the opening minutes as Iowa State made a quick run.

OSU’s issues in the first half were the same issues that have raised concerns about the Pokes all season. The Cowboys played little to no defense, but their offense also broke down and became a shell of what it appeared to be in the early stages of nonconference play.

While sometimes teams would rather have the opportunity to flush out a loss like that and play a day or two later, it might be a good thing that OSU has to let that embarrassing effort stew for a full week. While the Big 12 schedule is certainly grueling, the Cowboys won’t have to take the floor at any point during the week, with their next game coming on Saturday at Utah.

With a full week to reset, OSU can get back to the basics and try to pinpoint exactly why things aren’t going as intended. Sure, there probably won’t be any magical fixes that can be executed in a few days, but having a chance to reset ahead of this next stretch could be a critical boost to OSU’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

The Cowboys’ chances of making the tournament continue to be slashed with every loss, and it’s hard to imagine OSU has much more room for error. If Steve Lutz’s squad is going to get back into the bubble conversation, it needs to put together a string of impressive performances.

Most importantly, OSU simply needs to win games. Even if the wins come ugly, the Cowboys can’t afford to keep losing like they have early in Big 12 play. 

While OSU looked to be turning a corner after a sound victory over UCF in its second conference game, it has only one win since. Maybe this week won’t do much for the Cowboys, but there’s a real opportunity for the Pokes to take this week off, reflect and get back on the floor with a better mindset to finish the season.

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