After a summer of buzz, Oklahoma State finally gets to show what all the noise was about.
The Cowgirls open their season Monday against Southern at Gallagher-Iba Arena, with Jacie Hoyt’s team beginning a year that comes with enormous expectations. It’s the first game of a doubleheader, with the Cowboys set to face Incarnate Word later that night.
For Oklahoma State, this is the first of 14 non-conference games before league play begins just before Christmas. And for a program coming off a massive offseason, the opener feels like the first real checkpoint in what could be the biggest season in Cowgirls basketball history.
Southern brings plenty of credibility into the matchup. The Jaguars reached the NCAA Tournament in March, beat Samford in the First Four, then fell to South Carolina in the opening round.
They also won the last two SWAC Tournament championships. Funchess was on the staff before becoming head coach, and since 2018 the program has captured four SWAC Tournament titles.
The Jaguars are no strangers to major opponents, either. They regularly schedule high-major teams, and in 2025-26 they already picked up road wins over Big 12 programs Arizona and Houston.
Hoyt is in her fifth season at Oklahoma State, and she has already guided the Cowgirls to the NCAA Tournament in three of her first four years. The target hasn’t changed.
What has changed is the level of expectation around the program. OSU was picked by both the coaches and the media to win the Big 12, and NIL resources helped Hoyt and her staff land what has been called the best transfer class in the country, including Crooks and McGill, the top two players.
That makes Monday more than just a season opener. It’s the first step toward something Oklahoma State hasn’t done since 1991: win a conference championship.
Crooks should be the centerpiece right away, especially if McGill can’t play. The 6-3 center arrives from Iowa State after averaging 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, earning honorable mention All-America honors. She was nearly scoring a point per minute, and even teams with size have had trouble slowing her down.
Southern does have bodies to throw at her. The Jaguars have four players listed at 6-foot or taller: Zaria Hurston (6-0), Uniyah Franklin (6-1), DeMya Porter (6-1) and Anaja Hall (6-5). Hurston and Porter, who were both on last season’s team, combined for more than 17 points and more than 10 rebounds per game, and they’re the most likely first line of defense against Crooks.
Still, that’s a tough assignment. Southern may need to get creative, whether that means sending extra help in the post or trying something unusual like a box-and-one.
But that comes with risk, because Crooks can punish double teams by finding the open teammate. It’s a matchup the Jaguars will have a hard time winning.
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Oklahoma States Painful Finish Left Big 12 Hopes Hanging By A Thread
Oklahoma States Big 12 chase took a painful turn in a 51-49 loss to Iowa State, a game that ended with the Cowboys staring at a result they let slip away. Eric Morris pointed to the self-inflicted nature of it afterward, acknowledging the penalty and other mistakes that put Oklahoma State in a hole in a matchup that stayed tight right down to the final sequence.
The decisive moment came after Wyatt Young appeared to give the Cowboys a late touchdown, only for the play to be wiped out by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. From there, Iowa State had its opening, and Kyle Konrardy finished the job with a 34-yard field goal to send Oklahoma State home with its hopes hanging by a thread. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Just Turned Its Lineup Fight Into Must-Watch Drama
Oklahoma State turned its first Cowboy Invitational at Gallagher-Iba Arena into an early-season showcase for the kind of lineup battles that can define a wrestling year. With starting spots still up for grabs ahead of the opener, the event gave the Cowboys a chance to sort through a crowded room, and they responded by collecting nine titles while several brackets were shaped by injuries and a few tight calls.
The most revealing moments came in the weight classes where the race for the lineup looks especially sharp, with Casey Swiderski and Dee Lockett pushing each other deep into a tense 165-pound final. At 174 and 184, Alex Facundo and Mikey White also came through in key matches that will matter when the real decisions are made, leaving Oklahoma State with plenty of good results and just as many questions still hanging over the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Faces A Frustrating Wait As Big 12 Hopes Hang On
Oklahoma States next step in the Big 12 race comes with an unusual dose of uncertainty. The conference announced that the Cowboys Nov. 14 game against Texas Tech will not have its schedule finalized until after the previous weekends action is complete, leaving the matchup in limbo for now as Oklahoma State sits at 5-3 and tied for third in the league standings.
The wait adds another layer to a path that is already narrow. With the Big 12 title picture still crowded, the Cowboys need help around the conference to stay in the hunt, and their own meeting with Texas Tech looms as a pivotal piece of the equation once the kickoff details are finally set. [Read more 🡒]