Oklahoma State Men’s Basketball to Host Mid-Major Power at GIA in 2026-27

Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz and his staff are gearing up for their third season in Stillwater, and the schedule is getting tougher.

The Cowboys made their first official announcement for a non-conference game for the 2026-27 schedule by releasing information on its game with Saint Mary’s at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday, Dec. 5.

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Oklahoma State learned its home and road opponents for the Big 12 schedule recently. The dates and times for those games will be released in September. Oklahoma State is reportedly part of the field at the Charleston Classic in November, a multi-team event that should allow the Cowboys to get three non-conference games. But the final field and game dates and times haven’t formally been announced.

The contest with Saint Mary’s allows the Cowboys to toughen up its non-conference schedule this season, which is expected to include 14 games.

Breaking Down Saint Mary’s

Saint Mary’s Gaels guard Mickey McConnell. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Gaels have been one of college basketball’s best mid-major programs for the past 16 seasons. St. Mary’s has been in the same conference with national power Gonzaga, but the Gaels have won four of the West Coast Conference’s last five regular-season titles and won the conference tournament in 2019 and 2024. Since 2005 the Gaels have made 12 NCAA tournament appearances. They haven’t been to the Sweet 16 since 2010.

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Saint Mary’s is undergoing some transition. Long-time head coach Randy Bennett took the head-coaching job at Arizona State after the season. Bennett is an Arizona native, and the job presented him the opportunity to return home. Mickey McConnell, Bennett’s top assistant and former player, will be making his head-coaching debut this season.

The Cowboys are hoping to take a jump in Lutz’s third season as head coach. Since arriving from Western Kentucky, he’s taken the Cowboys to the postseason NIT in the last two seasons. In 2025-26 he and the Cowboys won 20 games but fell short…

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Publish date : 2026-06-19 00:00:00

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