More ball, or curtain call: will OSU accept an NIT Bid?
After an early Big 12 Tournament exit, Steve Lutz says OSU players will decide whether to pursue postseason opportunity separate from NCAA Tournament
Steve Lutz was abundantly coy when asked about his team’s future this season.
Shortly after Oklahoma State’s 95-88 loss to TCU in Round 2 of the Big 12 Tournament, the second-year coach acknowledged the dim probability of his team reaching the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys (19-14) were already projected outside of the bubble in ESPN’s Joe Lundardi’s latest bracketology installment come Selection Sunday, and their defeat against the Horned Frogs on March 11 likely cemented that.
So, when asked whether OSU would accept an invitation to participate in a separate postseason tournament, Lutz didn’t exactly provide a clear-cut response. Whether that includes the NIT, which takes 32 teams, or the second-year College Basketball Crown, which takes eight, is to be determined. Lutz did, however, make one thing clear — it will be a player’s decision.
“I’ve got to talk to the team,” Lutz said. “We’ve got to see who has interest in playing.”
The Cowboys have appeared in the NIT three times the past decade — 2018, 2023 and 2025. Last season, OSU won its first two games in the tournament, making a run to the quarterfinals.
On the other end, the Big 12 Conference is contractually obligated to send its top two non-Tournament teams to the Crown. For OSU, that becomes a matter of being invited. According to Lunardi’s latest bracketology installment, three Big 12 teams are projected to attain at-large bids in the NCAA Selection Show, which begins Sunday at 5 p.m. So, given OSU’s 14-seeding for the conference tournament and 7-13 record against conference opponents, the Cowboys likely aren’t atop the pecking order for a Crown invitation.
There’s pros and cons to accepting one, Lutz said.
ADVERTISEMENT
A message from Visit Stillwater
Shop, dine, and play your way through Stillwater this March. From gravel road races and McKnight Center shows to browsing local shops, there’s something for everyone to enjoy!
For some players, mental fatigue exists. Playing outside of the Big Dance might feel pointless and unavailing to a portion of the roster.
The Cowboys entered the 2025-26 campaign with profound expectations after reeling in a high-caliber transfer portal class. Those high hopes were merely validated after a 12-1 start to the season.
Weeks into Big 12 play, however, everything came crashing down. Now, the Cowboys are where they are — outside the bubble on Selection Sunday, looking ahead toward next season.
Lutz acknowledged his team fell short of preseason expectations. He noted his group didn’t amount to his standard, which is competing for conference championships and appearing in the NCAA Tournament on a yearly basis.
To others, it’s a chance to still compete for a dose of college basketball notoriety. And perhaps most importantly, a trophy, if it’s merely a consolation prize.
For Lutz, it’s a chance to develop younger prospects for the 2026-27 season. OSU will lose two starters from this year’s team once the offseason commences. So, prospect development becomes all the more vital for the Cowboys moving forward.
“(We) just need to keep building for next year,” Cowboys’ point guard Jaylen Curry said. “Just try to keep bonding with the guys. I know new guys are gonna come in, but just try to keep our bond together. Just keep driving. Striving every day, working hard, practicing, learning from this year for next year.”
Which begs the question, do OSU players want to continue playing?
“Yeah — of course,” Curry said. “I feel like we’ve still got more in the tank we can give. I feel like there’s way more we can give.”
And Curry wasn’t the lone voice echoing that.
“Absolutely — I think we’ve got more in us,” point guard Kanye Clary said. “I think if we keep playing, we can show people what we’ve got in us.”
For others, there’s the element of comradery. Particularly for freshmen like center Ben Ahmed, who commenced this OSU team for aiding in his swift development and growth throughout the season.
“These are my brothers right here,” Ahmed said. “We spend a lot of time together, have since June, off the court and on the court, too.”
Maybe a run in the NIT or Crown would eliminate the sour feeling of being excluded from the Field of 64. Perhaps it could provide a silver lining or sense of validation to a once-promising season that shifted into a harrowing trajectory so abruptly. But whether that happens remains to be seen.
Despite the grim nature surrounding their postseason outlook, Lutz noted how the effort from his players down the stretch hasn’t wavered, despite losing two starters and other key pieces.
Lutz profusely emphasized that his team has been playing its best basketball down the stretch. Thus, he implied the decision on whether to keep playing might already be evident given how the players have approached the past month.
But if that decision is a resounding "yes," Lutz said he's a full go, too.
“I would think that with the way these guys are playing and because they're playing so hard and having fun and playing for one another, I would think that they want to continue on,” Lutz said. “And if they want to continue on, I want to continue to coach them. Like, I’ve enjoyed coaching them the entire year, but I’ve really enjoyed coaching them these last (six) games. It’s been fun.”
Members Discussion