Fewer Big 12 Games Could be Perfect Storm for Oklahoma State to Break Through

Winning in the Big 12 is always difficult, but next season’s format could be a welcome sight.

Over the past few years, the Big 12 has been known as one of the toughest men’s basketball conferences in the country. While the SEC seemingly stole the title of the most difficult conference to play in during the 2024-25 campaign, the Big 12 is still right there.

While the conference has lost Oklahoma and Texas recently, other additions from Houston to BYU have ensured that the conference’s top-end talent and depth isn’t going anywhere. Of course, with Oklahoma State struggling to meet expectations over the past few years, that hasn’t always been a good thing in Stillwater. 

While the Big 12 will always feature tough opponents and some incredible matchups, the Cowboys could take advantage of their situation going into 2026. Last offseason, the Cowboys hired Steve Lutz relatively late in the transfer portal cycle.

Considering all of the roster turnover in Stillwater, that put OSU at a clear disadvantage going into last season, having to settle for guys who weren’t as skilled or didn’t fit as well as Lutz would have liked. 2024-25 was also the first season with 16 teams in the Big 12, which resulted in a 20-game conference slate after having only 18 games in previous years.

While the conference will still have 16 teams next season, the Big 12 is reversing its decision to expand the conference slate, giving the Cowboys only 18 Big 12 games next season. The fewer Big 12 games also allowed the Cowboys to better form their nonconference schedule, which is something that could go a long way in helping OSU’s NCAA Tournament resume and preparing the team for Big 12 opponents.

With Lutz having a full offseason at his disposal, he was able to bring in plenty of skilled scorers and others to fit into his system. Although there is no guarantee the new additions will gel perfectly, Lutz was able to bring in players who better fit his preferred style of play.

Considering those two factors put the Cowboys at a disadvantage in 2025, and they still managed to exceed some expectations, the 2025-26 season could be the start of something special if Lutz and company can make the pieces work.