Win Over BYU Proves Cowboy Basketball Can Compete With Anyone

OSU has had an up-and-down season, but it can still compete with the best.

Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Vyctorius Miller (5) celebrates during 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 secured an important win, and it could be exactly what the Cowboys needed.

After spending much of the conference schedule struggling to find any consistency, OSU earned back-to-back wins in Big 12 play for the first time this season. Now 4-5 in conference play, OSU is in a position to make a leap as it enters the second half of the Big 12 slate.

With another nine games remaining, OSU has to take advantage of every opportunity that comes its way. After beating No. 16 BYU on Wednesday night, OSU coach Steve Lutz stressed the importance of letting his players celebrate a big win but also staying focused on the main goal of making the NCAA Tournament.

With a win like BYU now under their belts, the Cowboys have a chance to make a run over the next few weeks. While it might be a tall task for the Cowboys to get past No. 1 Arizona on the road on Saturday, OSU can’t go into any of these games against top-tier opponents expecting a loss.

College basketball is chaotic. It’s what makes March Madness so intriguing, after all. And for OSU to have a chance to experience what March is all about, it needs to continue creating its own chaos in February.

The Cowboys didn’t have a pretty start to conference play and might not look all that glamorous at any point against Big 12 competition. But that doesn’t matter if the Cowboys are able to get some wins.

Defense was the story of the first 15 minutes for the Cowboys, forcing turnovers and tough shots to get easy buckets on the other end and get out to a 15-point lead. In the second half against BYU, it was an offensive showing from the Cowboys with some solid stretches of defense to complement that pushed the Pokes over the edge.

That type of balance is something OSU has been missing for stretches of the season, but it might be time for the Cowboys to put it all together. Getting hot at the right time is as important as anything else in college basketball, and the Cowboys have shown some flashes over the past two games.

In Wednesday night’s contest against BYU and potential top 3 pick AJ Dybantsa, OSU proved it can compete with any team on any given night, and it has another chance to prove that at Arizona this weekend. While the Cowboys might not be the favorite in most of their contests against highly skilled competition, they can still find the results they’re looking for.

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