Oklahoma State is turning Friday afternoon into a free basketball event for fans, and the timing could not be much better. The Cowboys will host Tulsa at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Oct. 23 at 2:30 p.m., giving Homecoming weekend an early hoops start before OSU’s Walkaround festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Greek neighborhood.
Admission is free, parking around the arena will be open, and doors will open at 1:30 p.m. Season ticket holders will get first priority for their regular seats, while open seating will be available in the 200 and 300 levels.
The exhibition will not be televised or streamed, but fans can follow along on the Cowboy Radio Network and the Varsity Network app with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call. Live stats will also be available at okstate.statbroadcast.com.
This is the second of three preseason exhibitions for Oklahoma State, which is in its third season under head coach Steve Lutz. The Cowboys opened the exhibition schedule Oct. 11 with a 99-89 loss to preseason Mountain West favorite New Mexico, a game that had plenty of offense and plenty of punch from OSU’s newcomers.
Freshman guard Anthony Felesi paced five Cowboys in double figures with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Junior center Julius Halaifonua added 16, Luka Bogavac and Benjamin Ahmed scored 13 apiece, and Kashie Natt finished with 10.
Oklahoma State also did real damage on the boards, grabbing 22 offensive rebounds and winning the overall rebounding battle 45-35. That edge led to a 27-12 advantage in second-chance points, and the Cowboy bench supplied 59 points.
Still, New Mexico took control after OSU briefly led by four early in the second half. The Lobos answered with a 12-0 run and used a parade to the foul line to swing the game. New Mexico attempted 48 free throws and made 36, while Oklahoma State was called for 33 personal fouls, including 22 after halftime.
The Cowboys were also short-handed. Parsa Fallah, Jordan Burks and Mekhi Ragland did not play in the frontcourt, and starting point guard Kanye Clary missed the second half because of an injury.
Tulsa brings a sharp-looking résumé into Stillwater. The Golden Hurricane, under fifth-year coach Eric Konkol, went 30-8 last season and reached the NIT championship game before falling to Auburn 92-86 in overtime. Along the way, Tulsa beat New Mexico in the NIT semifinals.
Konkol’s group has been reshaped, too, with five returners and nine newcomers, including eight Division I transfers.
The matchup also fits neatly into recent history between the two programs. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series 77-39 and has taken the last three regular-season meetings. The teams last played on Dec. 4, 2024, when the Cowboys rolled to a 76-55 win at the Reynolds Center.
Friday’s game comes during a new stretch for college basketball exhibitions. This is the third season NCAA Division I teams have been allowed to face each other in preseason games, and the first with the option to play as many as three.
Oklahoma State is 2-2 in those exhibitions, starting with an 89-78 home win over SMU in October 2024. Last fall, the Cowboys beat eventual NIT champion Auburn 97-95 in overtime before dropping road games to SMU 86-71.
After Tulsa, OSU will close exhibition play Tuesday, Oct. 27, with a trip to Madison, Wis., to face Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
CT, and the game will stream live on B1G+. Fans can buy a single-game pay-per-view pass for $8.99 at bigtenplus.com/oklahoma-state-vs-wisconsin-ppv, with viewing available through the B1G+ app on a range of devices.
The Cowboys’ regular season begins Monday, Nov. 2, when Gallagher-Iba Arena hosts a doubleheader. The Cowgirls play Southern at 5 p.m., followed by the Cowboys against Incarnate Word shortly after 8 p.m. on ESPN+. One ticket covers both games.
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