Oklahoma State’s Nonconference Schedule Is Official—and Steve Lutz Found a Nice Balance

No more reports. No more piecing together individual announcements.

We finally have Oklahoma State’s complete nonconference basketball schedule.

Looking at everything together, Steve Lutz appears to have found a pretty nice balance.

There are games Oklahoma State should win. There are legitimate résumé opportunities. There are tests away from Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Most notably, Cowboy fans won't have to travel very far to see most of them.

Oklahoma State will leave the state for only four games before Big 12 play—and one of those is an exhibition.

For a team with postseason aspirations, that's a pretty favorable setup.

Don't mistake favorable for easy. There are some serious tests scattered throughout this schedule.

We've already talked about this, but it looks even better when you see the entire schedule.

New Mexico. Tulsa. Wisconsin. None of those games count. All three can make Oklahoma State better.

The Cowboys host New Mexico on Oct. 11 before Tulsa comes to Gallagher-Iba Arena on Walkaround Friday, Oct. 23.

Four days later? OSU goes to Madison to play Wisconsin.

That's exactly what I want from exhibition games. Don't worry about protecting a record that doesn't exist.

Experiment. Get uncomfortable. Find weaknesses.

Give Lutz information he can actually use before Nov. 2.

Oklahoma State officially opens the season Nov. 2 against Incarnate Word.

There's actually a fun coaching connection there.

Lutz began his coaching career as an assistant at Incarnate Word and Oklahoma State football coach Eric Morris got his first head-coaching opportunity there.

Four days later, Queens comes to Stillwater.

Those games give OSU an opportunity to settle into the regular season before things get considerably more difficult.

Because on Nov. 12, the Cowboys leave Stillwater for their first true road test.

This is one of the games I'm circling. At Texas A&M.

Road game. SEC opponent.

Early in the season. That's valuable.

Oklahoma State will have plenty of new pieces playing meaningful roles this season.

Puerto Rico helped. The exhibitions will help.

But eventually you need to see how everyone responds when the game counts and you're playing in somebody else's building.

College basketball road environments can expose communication and composure issues quickly. We'll learn something about this team in College Station.

Oklahoma State's return to the Charleston Classic gives the Cowboys two more opportunities away from Stillwater on Nov. 20 and 22.

The field includes Dayton, Minnesota, Northwestern, Utah and Virginia Tech, with OSU set to play two of those teams.

Again, that's useful. Tournament settings provide a different challenge.

Short preparation. Neutral court.

Potentially contrasting styles within a matter of days.

Depending on the matchups, Oklahoma State could leave Charleston with something valuable for its eventual NCAA Tournament résumé.

Look at this stretch:

Grand Canyon — Dec. 2

Saint Mary's — Dec. 5

Oklahoma in OKC — Dec. 12

Oral Roberts — Dec. 16

Northwestern in Tulsa — Dec. 20

That's fun. Grand Canyon and Saint Mary's give Oklahoma State intriguing home opportunities.

Then comes Bedlam. Then an in-state matchup with Oral Roberts. Then Northwestern at the BOK Center.

That's a pretty entertaining December without Oklahoma State having to leave the state once.

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma meet Dec. 12 at the Paycom Center.

It'll be the 252nd meeting between the programs.

I've said this before: I love keeping Bedlam alive.

Conference realignment changed plenty about college sports.

It doesn't mean every rivalry needs to disappear with it.

Put the Cowboys and Sooners on a neutral floor in Oklahoma City and let the fanbases take care of the atmosphere.

That should feel like one of the biggest nonconference games on OSU's schedule every year.

Eight days later, OSU gets another neutral-site opportunity within the state.

Northwestern. Dec. 20. BOK Center.

It's Oklahoma State's third game at the arena and its first there since 2019.

I like this one for reasons beyond basketball. Tulsa is an important market for Oklahoma State. There are plenty of Cowboy fans there.

Taking a Power Four matchup into their backyard gives those fans an opportunity to see OSU without making the trip to Stillwater.

If Oklahoma State fans fill the building? A technically neutral game could feel awfully orange.

This isn't Oklahoma State hiding inside Gallagher-Iba Arena for two months.

Wisconsin is a legitimate exhibition test. Texas A&M is a true road game. Charleston provides neutral-site competition. Grand Canyon and Saint Mary's should test OSU at home.

Oklahoma brings the rivalry element. Northwestern brings another Power Four opponent.

There's enough here to find out what Oklahoma State actually has. That's what matters.

We've heard the expectations. Oklahoma State doesn't simply want to improve. The Cowboys want to get back into the postseason conversation.

If that's the goal, November and December matter. You need opportunities to build a résumé.

But you also need to avoid creating a schedule so brutal that a new roster spends two months getting beaten up before conference play.

There's a balance. I think Lutz found it.