Oklahoma State opens the Steve Lutz era’s next chapter Monday night against Incarnate Word, and the biggest pregame question isn’t about the opponent. It’s about who’s actually available.
Lutz said Friday that guard P.J. Clary is “day-to-day” after a groin injury and remains a game-time call for the season opener at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Clary picked up the injury sometime between the first and second exhibition games and has sat out the last two.
The coach sounded optimistic, saying Clary is trending in the right direction and that he hopes his point guard can go against Incarnate Word. That matters because Clary is the most experienced player on the roster in Lutz’s system. Last season, he averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 assists.
If Clary can’t play, Kashie Natt would likely handle the point, with freshman Anthony Felisi expected to start at shooting guard.
Lutz also made it clear he won’t force Clary back before he’s ready. If there’s any real risk of a setback, the Cowboys will hold him out. Once he’s healthy, though, he’ll be in the lineup.
North Carolina transfer Ven-Allen Lubin didn’t play in the final exhibition against Wisconsin, but Lutz said he’s trending toward being available Monday. Lutz didn’t explain why Lubin sat out against the Badgers.
What Oklahoma State expects from him is pretty straightforward: shooting and quick offense. He’s viewed as a dangerous perimeter threat who can provide 10 to 15 minutes a night off the bench while he works toward a possible starting role. How much more he plays will come down to his defense.
The Cowboys also know they’ll be without Abou Ousmane Fallah for a while. Fallah said at Big 12 media days that he hopes to return sometime in December, which lines up with the recovery window from the torn ACL he suffered in February.
Fallah said he initially believed his career was over after the injury, before applying for another year of eligibility with other student athletes challenging the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule. That rule did not account for students who hadn’t used a redshirt and started college in 2022. Fallah is currently eligible under a temporary restraining order while the case is still being heard.
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Oklahoma State Scored 49 And Still Left Fans With One Big Fear
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But even with all that production, the ending left the Cowboys with the kind of concern that lingers after a loss like this. Iowa State kept finding answers of its own, with Aiden Flora rushing for 221 yards and two touchdowns and Jaylen Raynor accounting for four total touchdowns, and Oklahoma State never quite got the final stop it needed when the game tightened late. The result was a 51-49 defeat that showed just how explosive the Cowboys can be, while also reminding them how thin the margin is when a shootout turns into a finish-line scramble. [Read more 🡒]
Steve Lutz Has A Real Oklahoma State Lineup Decision Before The Opener
Steve Lutz came to Stillwater with the mandate to lift Oklahoma State back into the NCAA Tournament picture, and the first real test of how quickly that rebuild can take shape arrives with the season opener against Incarnate Word. After three exhibition games, the Cowboys have at least given their new coach something useful to sort through: a few players have flashed enough to make the early rotation picture feel less settled than it might have seemed a month ago.
Among the names making noise are freshman Felisi, Jacob Walker and Kashie Natt, all of whom turned in encouraging stretches during exhibition play. The challenge for Lutz now is less about finding talent than deciding how to arrange it, because the opener is close enough that the lineup choices start to matter in a hurry, and the best answer may not be the most obvious one. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Answered A Bad Loss In The Wildest Way Possible
Iowa State came out of a rough loss and turned Saturday into a track meet, beating Oklahoma State in a high-scoring game that swung on big plays all afternoon. Jaylen Raynor and Drew Mestermaker kept the Cyclones moving through the air, and Iowa State also made life miserable for the Cowboys with successful onside kick recoveries that extended drives and kept the pressure on.
The finish only added to the chaos, with the Cyclones finding enough late offense to stay alive in a game that never seemed settled. Kyle Konrardy ended up delivering the decisive kick, and Iowa State now carries that wild escape into its next road trip, an away game at Baylor. [Read more 🡒]