Oklahoma State opens its season Monday against Incarnate Word with a lot still unresolved, even after three exhibition games.
Steve Lutz still wants more from the Cowboys on the defensive end and on the glass. He still likes the scoring potential on this roster. And he still isn’t certain how much guard Kanye Clary will be able to give them in the opener.
That uncertainty comes with bigger stakes for Oklahoma State, which has missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the last five seasons. Lutz is trying to change that, and the matchup with the Cardinals is the first chance to start building a March Madness case.
The Cowboys enter Lutz’s third season with one clear objective: get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. Oklahoma State has shown steady progress under him, winning 20 games last season, but both of his first two years ended in the NIT after the Cowboys finished in the bottom half of the Big 12 standings. Lutz has pointed to defense as the key separator if this team is going to push through.
He also has a roster with plenty of new pieces. Oklahoma State signed a Top 10 freshman class that includes two players who could help right away.
The Cowboys also added two transfers from Sam Houston. Two players are currently playing on legal orders, including forward Parsa Fallah, who will not be available until at least sometime in December while he recovers from an ACL tear suffered in February.
Clary’s status remains unclear because of a groin injury. If he can’t go, the ballhandling load will fall more heavily on Natt, though that role may be his either way.
Natt turned in a strong exhibition stretch, highlighted by a double-double against Tulsa. At 6-3, he should still be one of Oklahoma State’s best rebounders, and he brings a reliable 3-point shot as well.
He is also one of the Cowboys players on a legal order, which keeps him eligible until his case is fully heard, possibly not until after the season.
Incarnate Word arrives after a difficult Southland Conference season, finishing tied for seventh last year. That followed a 19-17 record in Heirman’s second season in 2024-25.
The Cardinals have been in Division I since 2013, when they moved up to the Southland Conference. Before that, in Division II, they reached the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament only once, in 2002.
Their 2025 CBI run included wins over Manhattan and Jacksonville.
Heirman knows Oklahoma well, too, as a Tulsa graduate. But this year’s UIW team is almost entirely new, with only one player back from last season.
The game will be carried on Cowboys Sports Network with Dave Hunziker and John Holcomb on the call. The matchup to watch is the repeated battle between Natt and Sacred Heart transfer Connor, who averaged 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists last season and is expected to run the show for the Cardinals. Whether Clary plays or not, that backcourt matchup should be a central part of Monday’s opener.
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