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For the Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball team, the goal is simple- get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in five years. It’s easier said than done of course.
The Cowboys have been stuck in neutral since former coach Mike Boynton Jr. and future NBA No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham authored that NCAA Tournament berth in 2021. The first two seasons under current head coach Steve Lutz have been good but the significant issue has been winning Big 12 games.
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In Lutz’s mind, the biggest weakness is defense. He said at Big 12 media days that he feels he has all the offense he needs to contend for an NCAA Tournament berth. The question is whether this team plays better defensively?
So, how will we know if the defense is better? Three these three games in November should give us a sense whether the Cowboys are on their way to fixing that issue or not.
Texas A&M: Nov. 12
Texas A&M Aggies coach Bucky McMillan. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There’s nothing like a matchup with an NCAA Tournament team to help test whether your defense is up to snuff or not. This is a rematch of last year’s game, though this year’s edition will be in College Station. The charm is that the Cowboys will get an opportunity to compare it against last year’s matchup, though much of the personnel has changed. Last year the Aggies won in Stillwater, 87-63. The Cowboys allowed more than 84 points per game last season.
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The biggest name for the Aggies is one the Cowboys are familiar with – guard PJ Haggerty is with Texas A&M this season. He played at Kansas State last year and he was the fourth-leading scorer in the country at 23.4 points per game.
If Lutz wants to see how well his guards are playing man-to-man on a high-level scorer, this is the perfect game to find out.
Minnesota: Nov. 20
Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Niko Medved. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Cowboys and the Golden Gophers have only played one another eight times in their histories, and their…
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Publish date : 2026-10-29 20:30:00
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