Cowboys not among nine Big 12 teams in ESPN’s latest bracketology

Oklahoma State has struggled to return to its glory days, and next season could be another tough year.

Last season, OSU finished 12-20 in its seventh season under coach Mike Boynton. With OSU making just one NCAA Tournament appearance during that time, the team decided to go in a different direction and began its first coaching search since 2017.

After the position was vacant for weeks, the Cowboys hired Steve Lutz from Western Kentucky to replace him. Lutz has spent the last few months, mostly through the transfer portal, assembling a roster that he hopes can compete in the tough Big 12.

The Big 12 is considered by many to be the toughest league in college basketball, and Joe Lunardi reinforced that perception in ESPN’s recent Bracketology. Unsurprisingly, OSU didn’t make it or even enter the conversation, but the Big 12 included nine teams in the 68-team field.

Although the SEC and Big Ten each had 10 teams, the Big 12 dominated the top seeds. Of the 12 teams with a top-three seed, the Big 12 has five teams, including two No. 1 seeds in Kansas and Houston.

Iowa State, Baylor and Arizona round out the other projected top-three seeds. Meanwhile, Texas Tech, Cincinnati, BYU and Kansas State complete the conference selection.

Although the Cowboys’ exact conference schedule has not yet been released, they know their opponents for next season’s 20-game Big 12 schedule. In those 20 games, the Cowboys will face projected NCAA Tournament teams 12 times, with games evenly split between six home and six away games.

OSU may not be on the radar for the NCAA Tournament as the season approaches, but a surprise run could put the team in position to compete for the first time since 2021.

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