Steve Lutz Is Turning Oklahoma State's Preseason Into a Gauntlet

Steve Lutz apparently doesn't believe in easing into a basketball season.

New Mexico. Tulsa. Wisconsin.

And none of them will even count.

Oklahoma State announced its three-game exhibition schedule Wednesday, adding home matchups against New Mexico and Tulsa to the previously announced trip to Wisconsin.

That's three legitimate tests before the Cowboys officially tip off the 2026-27 season.

But one stands out for another reason.

Tulsa is coming to Gallagher-Iba Arena on Walkaround Friday.

Oklahoma State will host the Golden Hurricane at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 23, the afternoon before the Cowboy football team hosts Colorado for America's Greatest Homecoming.

Basketball. Walkaround. Football.

That's one heck of a weekend in Stillwater.

For Lutz, it's another opportunity to find out exactly what kind of basketball team he has before the games actually count.

Let's start with Tulsa.

The Golden Hurricane aren't coming to Stillwater simply to give Oklahoma State a comfortable tune-up.

They went 30-8 last season reaching the NIT championship game and their season didn't end until an overtime loss to Auburn. That's a legitimate basketball team.

Exactly the type Oklahoma State should want to see before November.

Exhibitions don't count in the standings, but that doesn't mean they can't tell you something.

If you're going to spend 40 minutes experimenting with lineups, rotations and different combinations, why not do it against somebody capable of exposing your weaknesses? Tulsa can do that.

This is what makes the scheduling especially fun.

Oklahoma State fans already have a reason to be in Stillwater that Friday. Now they have another.

Go watch the Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena in the afternoon then head out for Walkaround that evening.

Wake up Saturday and get ready for Oklahoma State-Colorado at Boone Pickens Stadium. That's how you make an exhibition feel like an event.

It also gives Lutz's team an opportunity to capitalize on the energy surrounding Homecoming.

College basketball sometimes struggles for attention before football season ends. This is one way around it.

Put basketball directly into the middle of one of Oklahoma State's biggest weekends of the year.

Look at the entire exhibition schedule. Oklahoma State hosts New Mexico on Oct. 11. Tulsa comes to Stillwater on Oct. 23 then OSU travels to Wisconsin on Oct. 27.

Three games. Three legitimate opponents.

New Mexico went 26-11 last season after reaching the NCAA Tournament the previous two years.

Tulsa won 30 games.

Wisconsin has made three consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

Lutz could've scheduled differently. He didn't.

This shouldn't surprise anyone anymore.

We've already talked about Oklahoma State playing in the Charleston Classic. We've talked about the Wisconsin exhibition.

We've looked at a non-conference schedule that includes opportunities against quality opponents. There's a pattern developing.

Lutz wants his team tested and considering how many new pieces Oklahoma State is integrating again, that makes sense.

Comfortable wins might make everyone feel good. Difficult games tell a coach what needs fixing.

Oklahoma State already got an unusual amount of basketball together this summer.

The Cowboys traveled to Puerto Rico and played three exhibition games against professional competition. They won all three.

More importantly, the trip gave a roster with only four returners additional practices, game situations and time together. That matters.

Now Oklahoma State gets another three-game preseason before the real schedule begins.

By Nov. 2, this shouldn't feel like a team meeting each other for the first time.

Lutz is giving them too many opportunities together for that.

Then comes Madison. Four days after Tulsa, Oklahoma State travels to face Wisconsin.

That's about as useful as an exhibition can get. Road environment. Big Ten opponent. An NCAA Tournament-caliber program.

Unlike playing inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, Oklahoma State gets to see how its new roster communicates and responds away from home.

Again, the result doesn't count. The experience absolutely does.

That's the beauty of this setup.

Want to try an unusual lineup against Tulsa? Do it.

Want to see how two guards function together? Try it.

Want to give a player extended minutes against Wisconsin and see whether he can handle that level? There's almost no downside.

These games provide Lutz with information then he has time to adjust before the actual season.

That's much more valuable than beating an overmatched exhibition opponent by 40 and learning virtually nothing.

From a fan perspective, I keep coming back to this.

Oklahoma State-Tulsa at 2:30. Walkaround afterward.

Colorado at Boone Pickens Stadium the next day.

That's a pretty fantastic two-day stretch for Oklahoma State fans.

Basketball gets to become part of the Homecoming experience rather than competing against it.

If Gallagher-Iba Arena gets a good crowd, the exhibition could feel much more like a regular-season game.

That's valuable for a new roster, too.

Steve Lutz could've made Oklahoma State's preseason comfortable. Instead, he's making it useful.

New Mexico. Tulsa. Wisconsin. Three quality opponents before a single game counts.

By putting Tulsa on Walkaround Friday, Oklahoma State has turned one of those exhibitions into something bigger than a preseason tune-up.

It becomes part of Homecoming. That's good for fans. It's good exposure for the basketball program.

Most importantly, it's another legitimate test for a team with postseason aspirations.

Oklahoma State isn't waiting until November to find out what it has.

Steve Lutz is making sure the Cowboys get tested before the season even begins.