Would Another NIT Appearance Mean Anything for Oklahoma State?

The Cowboys are likely out of the NCAA Tournament race, but another postseason tournament has become a staple in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State coach Steve Lutz gestures 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 is again on a collision course with the NIT.

Coming into this season, it’s hard to imagine any OSU fans would have been excited to be in this position yet again. For the fifth straight year, OSU is on the brink of being on the outside of the NCAA Tournament.

Over the past few years, Cowboy basketball hasn’t seen much success, and getting to the NCAA Tournament was seen as the bare minimum for Steve Lutz when he was first hired. Of course, there were no expectations for him to make it there in year one, given the turnaround from the Mike Boynton era.

However, there were some real expectations coming into this season that OSU should at least compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. After such a solid nonconference slate, the Cowboys were in a real position to make a run at the tournament.

Of course, Big 12 play has once again been nothing but a couple of months of disappointment for the Pokes. It’s been a theme for years now, but the Cowboys might still be playing some postseason basketball beyond the Big 12 Tournament.

When OSU is left out of the NCAA Tournament again, the NIT will come calling, and the Cowboys are typically ready to pick up the phone. However, it might not make much sense this season.

In general, the NIT is about as meaningless as it gets for a program of OSU’s caliber, or at least a program of the caliber OSU claims to be. At best, it’s a few exhibition games against smaller schools with a chip on their shoulder that were never really in the mix for an at-large bid either.

Last season, OSU faltered against North Texas in the quarterfinals to end its season. This time around, the Cowboys will be in a position to be the best team in the field, but it might not matter at this point.

Parsa Fallah’s injury only complicates matters for the Pokes and their potential trip to the NIT. While Lutz and company probably don’t want to pass up on more practices and games, this era of college basketball is all about roster turnover, and it probably wouldn’t mean much to have a bit more time with a roster that is surely filled with players who won’t be in Stillwater next season.

OSU is in a rough situation, and the NIT invitation will only confirm that yet again.