KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just moments after a gut-wrenching defeat that officially killed the Cowboys’ NCAA Tournament hopes, Kanye Clary was able to put into words what this season as a Cowboy has meant to him.

Oklahoma State is Clary’s third school. After spending time in the Big Ten and the SEC, Clary said this year in Stillwater reignited his spark for the game.

“I would say that my love of basketball came back,” Clary said. “A lot of people don’t know my story, but last two years — injured last year, sophomore year, we know how I got kicked off the team, the whole America seen that. So just being in Stillwater and playing with Oklahoma State, I think my love for basketball has came back. Like, I enjoy playing basketball again.

“Just everybody here, the staff, the fans, the faculty, everybody who’s a Cowboy. They embraced me. They took me with open arms and made me one of their own, and I can never repay them for that.”

Clary’s college career started at Penn State. After a solid freshman year, Clary started to shine as a sophomore. He was the Nittany Lions’ leading scorer. In 23 games, he averaged 16.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists a contest. But Clary was dismissed from the team. A lawsuit followed, and it all got a little messy.

Clary would re-emerge at Mississippi State last season but suffered an injury in November that kept him out for the remainder of the year.

It’s easy to see how back-to-back seasons like those could jade one’s view of college hoops.

But Clary’s season in Stillwater was back to normal. He played in all but one of the Cowboys’ games, starting 29 of those contests. He averaged 10.1 points and a career-high 4.8 assists a game.

Even on nights where his numbers aren’t the best, he had an impact on OSU’s success. In OSU’s win against Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament, Clary was just 1-for-9 from the field, but OSU was 17 points better than the Buffaloes with Clary on the floor.

He’s the second player within the past month to breakdown what this year as a Cowboy has meant to him, joining an emotional Parsa Fallah after Fallah tore his ACL.

“It means that we must be doing something right, right?” OSU Coach Lutz said. “That’s the way I look at it because — excuse my language — this shit’s hard, guys. It’s hard on them. It’s hard on coaches. It’s hard on our families. I don’t get on social media during the season, but I know some of the stuff that’s said because people repeat it to me. Man, people are just freakin’ cruel. And they’re out here giving their heart and they’re playing their heart out, and it’s not enough, and you just get beat up and it’s tough.

“So if he’s had a great experience and Parsa has had a great experience, and I don’t want to speak for Chris (Coleman), but just on and on down the line, that’s where you judge your program. Now, we’re judged on wins and losses going to the NCAA Tournament. I got it. I understand, and I said that in my press conference. But in the big picture of life, for this young man to have battled through what he did at different schools and injuries and the mental part of it and have a smile on his face and say this is his best year, man, that warms my heart.”

And while the Cowboys’ NCAA Tournament hopes were dashed, they could still have the opportunity to play more basketball, whether that be in the NIT or the College Basketball Crown.

Lutz said after the game that he’d talk with the team about whether the guys wanted to accept a bid to one of those events. It sounds like his point guard is in.

“Oh, for sure man,” Clary said. “I love each and every one of these guys, and I love taking the floor with them. Hopefully we can win one of those two tournaments.”

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PHOTOS

Former Cowboys got the opportunity to work out in front of NFL Scouts on Thursday in Boone Pickens Stadium and across the street at the Sherman E. Smith Training Center.

The group probably doesn’t have a sure-fire NFL Draft pick, but there were some performances that raised some eyebrows.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the day’s biggest moments and a look at measurements and drill numbers.

Stock Up: Kenneth Harris

If there was a winner at Oklahoma State’s Pro Day on Thursday, it was defensive back Kenneth Harris.

Across all seven tests, Harris finished either first or second among the former Cowboys participating in front of NFL scouts. His 22 reps on the bench would’ve ranked 14th all-time among either corners or safeties.

“Did enough to get some eyes on me, give me a chance, but you know, job is not finished,” Harris said, after expressing some mild disappointment in his day.

His three-cone time would have ranked second among all positions at the combine this year, and his 40 time would have ranked 14th among 22 corners. Harris’ vertical and broad jump were enough to rank sixth and eighth among corners this year.

Thursday was the last time Harris suited up to represent the Cowboys. He led the defense in overall snaps (669) last fall after playing less than 100 total in his first two years with the program.

“It shows my resilience,” Harris said. “I didn’t transfer, I stayed, I proved I can play at this level. And I stuck it out, and I finally got my opportunity, and it showed here today, and I’m proud of myself coming this far.”

Harris likely had options if he chose to transfer. He played 1,504 snaps in three years with Arkansas State before transferring to Stillwater.

So why didn’t he leave?

“I believed in myself and ultimately I just, I love Oklahoma State, like I love the school,” Harris said before listing some of the reasons for that love.

“The people, the energy, the homecoming, the crowd, the fans,” Harris said. “Just everything Oklahoma State represents. I love this school, great school.”

— Tyler Waldrep

Davis Shines, Compliments Mestemaker

Terrill Davis didn’t let a ball touch the ground in his on-field workout, and on top of that, the former basketball player jumped with the best of them.

Coming in at nearly 5-foot-11, Davis recorded a 39-inch vertical and a 10-foot, 4-inch broad jump, which each ranked third among Pro Day participants. Davis’ vertical would’ve tied for eighth among receivers at the NFL Combine.

Following the field work, Davis had a long conversation with a scout from the Minnesota Vikings.

Although this past season didn’t go how Davis nor any Cowboy wanted it, it’s an awesome story that he spent his Thursday working out in front of NFL scouts. He didn’t play football until his senior year at Choctaw High School, giving the sport a try because basketball gyms were closed because of the pandemic.

His one year playing high school ball was enough to get him to UCO, and in his third year as a Broncho, he led all NCAA players (regardless of division) with 1,609 receiving yards to go with 15 touchdowns. He was a Division-II All-American before transferring to Oklahoma State.

“It’s definitely crazy,” Davis said. “I would’ve never imagined it, but I’m just blessed to be able to do it. It means a lot to me for sure.”

The Cowboys didn’t have a draft eligible quarterback on campus, which meant Drew Mestemaker threw for the Pokes. Here’s Davis’ early review of the Cowboys’ new QB:

“We had a couple of throwing sessions with him before this, two or three,” Davis said. “He can sling it. I’m excited to see what he do out here.

“Perfect — I don’t have anything bad to say about it.”

— Marshall Scott

Rawls’ Leap Caught Everyone’s Attention

Linebacker Brandon Rawls might have stolen the singular moment of Oklahoma State’s Pro Day on Thursday when he leapt into the air for what went down as a 41-inch vertical. He did that while weighing 229 pounds.

That moment evoked ooooooooooo’s from the rest of the room as everyone in the room took a second to appreciate what he did.

Most of the other competitors probably weren’t aware that jump would rank 12th all-time among linebackers at the combine.

“I thought it was insane,” safety Parker Robertson said. “What an athletic linebacker. … Forty-one is still unreal to me.”

As a former basketball player, Rawls expected an impressive vertical. The former D-II football player and one-year Cowboy was grateful for the chance to show off his athleticism, particularly his ability to bend.

“Being here, you get to really showcase your talents and get put on a different platform,” Rawls said. “So coming here, I am extremely grateful. I know the season didn’t go how we wanted, but just the opportunity to come showcase my talents on a brighter stage is better for me.”

— Tyler Waldrep

Pro Day Measurements

Name	Height	Weight	Arm	Hand	Wingspan
Wes Pahl	6-4 7/8	207	32 6/8	9 1/8	80
Freddie Brock	5-8 7/8	196	29 3/8	8 5/8	71 2/8
Terrill Davis	5-10 7/8	195	29	8 3/8	71 2/8
Christian Fitzpatrick	6-4	219	33 6/8	9 6/8	80 7/8
Kenneth Harris	5-11 6/8	192	30 4/8	9 2/8	72 4/8
Trent Howland	6-1 3/8	262	31 4/8	9 1/8	76
Sam Jackson	5-9 6/8	189	31 3/8	10 3/8	75 2/8
Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi	6-2 3/8	297	32 6/8	10 1/8	79
Bryan McCoy	5-11 3/8	230	30 3/8	9 5/8	72 6/8
Mordecai McDaniel	6-0 6/8	198	31 6/8	9 3/8	75 1/8
Brandon Rawls	5-11 4/8	229	32 4/8	10 1/8	76 2/8
Parker Robertson	5-10 4/8	193	29 3/8	9	79 7/8
Bob Schick	6-5 1/8	308	33	9 2/8	79 6/8
Cam Smith	6-1 1/8	193	31 5/8	8 4/8	77 2/8

Pro Day Drill Numbers

Name	Vertical	Broad Jump	Bench Reps	40	Shuttle	3 Cone
Freddie Brock	26	9-3	16	4.55	4.61	7.37
Terrill Davis	39	10-4	16	4.62	4.40	7.05
Christian Fitzpatrick	36	9-9	11	4.64	4.40	6.97
Kenneth Harris	39.5	10-9	22	4.48	4.25	6.85
Trent Howland	32.6	9-3	19	4.75	4.70	7.72
Sam Jackson V	36.5	10-7	x	4.55	4.38	7.05
Sitiveni Havili Kaufusi	32.5	8-10	24	x	x	x
Bryan McCoy Jr.	29.5	9-4	22	4.83	4.58	7.40
Mordecai McDaniel	28.5	9-3	6	4.65	4.58	7.38
Brandon Rawls	41	10-2	19	4.75	4.51	7.53
Parker Robertson	35	9-10	17	4.47	4.46	7.20
Bob Schick	25.5	8-5	19	5.70	5.02	8.15
Cam Smith	34	9-8	9	4.57	4.51	7.15

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Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.

• The Pokes led much of the second half but dropped (another) close one to the Horned Frogs, 95-88  (PFB)

• What defines a Skylar Cassity defense at Oklahoma State? (PFB)

• NCAA Wrestling Championship brackets were released – check out every Cowboys’ path to the title (and what seed Jax Forrest got) (PFB)

• Cowgirls hanging in the top-25 even after the series loss over the weekend.

A handful of #Big12SB teams ranked in this week’s @NFCAorg Top 2⃣5⃣ pic.twitter.com/YYzD4T6404

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 10, 2026

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Non-OSU Bullets

• The self-help trap • AI can’t beat what we learn with our senses (faith-based)

“I think if you’re too qualitative, you miss a lot of details that are important, and if you’re too quantitative, you miss a lot of the details that are qualitative.” Vince Hanks

Thanks for stopping by – here’s your daily dose of Oklahoma State sports news. 

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OSU Bullets

• The Pokes led much of the second half but dropped (another) close one to the Horned Frogs, 95-88  (PFB)

• What defines a Skylar Cassity defense at Oklahoma State? (PFB)

• NCAA Wrestling Championship brackets were released – check out every Cowboys’ path to the title (and what seed Jax Forrest got) (PFB)

• Cowgirls hanging in the top-25 even after the series loss over the weekend.

A handful of #Big12SB teams ranked in this week’s @NFCAorg Top 2⃣5⃣ pic.twitter.com/YYzD4T6404

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 10, 2026

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Non-OSU Bullets

• The self-help trap • AI can’t beat what we learn with our senses (faith-based)

“I think if you’re too qualitative, you miss a lot of details that are important, and if you’re too quantitative, you miss a lot of the details that are qualitative.” Vince Hanks

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Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.

PHOTOS
RECAP
BOX SCORE

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cowboys ran out of steam in KC.

After a strong start, Oklahoma State fell to TCU 95-88 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, officially putting an end to the Cowboys’ NCAA Tournament chances.

Here are five thoughts from the game.

1. Second Half Second-Chance Points Bury the Pokes

The Cowboys took a 46-43 lead into the half and had outrebounded the Frogs by four through those first 20 minutes. But the script flipped in the second.

TCU outrebounded OSU 23-15 in the second half. Fourteen of those boards were on the offensive end, and the Horned Frogs turned those into 18 second-chance points.

The two most egregious offensive boards the Cowboys gave up came on missed TCU free throws. Micah Robinson went to the line off a David Punch offensive board with about eight minutes to play. Robinson made the first and missed the second, but Tanner Toolson came away with the ball. TCU closed the possession with a Jayden Pierre layup to cut OSU’s lead to 72-71.

Toolson was at the line with 5:45 to play. He made the first, missed the second, and Xavier Edmonds came away with the board. That possession ended with a Pierre 3 that gave TCU an 81-80 lead, the Horned Frogs’ first lead since about a minute into the second half.

“Ultimately, we shot ourselves in the foot in the inability to box out, be physical and get a rebound,” OSU coach Steve Lutz said. “And give TCU credit for that. There’s a reason they’ve won nine out of the last 10 and six in a row. And we’ve had three games with them where, ultimately, at the end of the day, the game was won in the trenches. And we have not rang the bell to win any of those three games.

“So we’ve got to be able to look in the mirror and take ownership of this, but also not lose sight of the fact that we’ve made strides and we’ve had a good year and we’re continuing to move the program forward.”

Some of TCU’s second-half success on the glass had to do with the fact that freshmen bigs Ben Ahmed and Mekhi Ragland were in foul trouble. Those two have had to shoulder the load at center for the Pokes in Kansas City because big men keep falling. Parsa Fallah tore his ACL, Andrija Vukovic tore his meniscus, Robert Jennings re-injured his hip and has been out most of the season, and Lefteris Mantzoukas is no longer on the team.

2. It Looked So Promising in the First Half

The Cowboys started hot to the point where it looked like some might start believing they could battle back to the bubble.

OSU shot 51% from the field in the first and outrebounded TCU 20-16.

The Cowboys were flying up and down the field and, despite how the second half played out, were fairly dominant in the paint. OSU had 30 paint points in the first half and had seven offensive boards that led to 12 second-chance points.

3. Some Solid Offensive Performances

Despite the loss, OSU scored 88 points which means they had some guys lighting up the scoreboard.

Anthony Roy continued his hot streak, finishing with a team-high 25. He also had nine boards.

Usually shining as a catch-and-shoot guy, Roy was a full-blown slasher Wednesday night. Only six of those points came via the long ball. He was getting downhill and to the tin, hitting a pair of tough layups in the first half. He didn’t get much help from the whistles in that half, shooting just two free throws despite his attacking style of play. But he got to the line eight times in the second half, hitting seven of those.

Christian Coleman looked like prime LeBron for a stretch early in the second. He scored nine of his 15 points in about a two-minute span early in the second by getting downhill and laying it in.

Had the Cowboys won and those two played similarly Thursday, they probably would’ve made the all-tournament team given how well they played in KC.

Some of these guys are playing the best they have all season, which makes it a little extra brutal that they couldn’t close this game out.

4. What Sort of Frog Curse Is Over the OSU Basketball Program?

TCU has been a solid program over the past 10 years or so, but it’s not like the Horned Frogs are Kansas or something.

OSU has now lost six straight against the Horned Frogs and have gone 4-14 against TCU since the 2017-18 season. It just doesn’t make any sense.

The Cowboys need to do some frog-related ritual or something.

In two of OSU’s losses to TCU this season, the Cowboys led at the half. The other game went to overtime.

OSU’s last win against TCU away from GIA was on Feb. 15, 2017.

Cursed, I tell you, cursed.

5. What’s Next?

The Cowboys were a few wins away from making the improbable at least a little interesting, but alas, they will miss the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year.

But OSU could still continue playing basketball, whether that be in the NIT (again) or in the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. Given the Crown will be an eight-team tournament this year, the NIT is probably more likely based on numbers, but the Crown and Big 12 have a partnership that means the tournament will take at least two of the league’s teams.

There’s also a world where this is it for the 2025-26 Cowboys. Here’s what Lutz said after the game:

“Yeah, I mean I’ve got to talk to the team and we’ve got to see who has interest in us playing,” Lutz said. “I mean obviously the Big 12 has a partnership with the Crown, and then you’re obviously going to have the NIT.

“I would think that the way that these guys are playing and because they’re playing so hard and having fun and playing for one another, I would think that they want to continue on. And if they want to continue on, I want to continue to coach them. Like, I’ve enjoyed coaching them the entire year, but I’ve really enjoyed coaching them these last five games. It’s been fun.”

In talking with the players after the game, they also seem open to the idea.

“Oh, for sure man,” Kanye Clary said. “I love each and every one of these guys, and I love taking the floor with them. Hopefully we can win one of those two tournaments.”

“Most definitely,” Roy said. “If anybody else wants to play, I’m definitely with it.”

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Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.

BOXSCORE

The Cowboys did their best to cool them, but the Horned Frogs remain the league’s hottest team.

14th-seeded Oklahoma State fell to the 6 seed TCU 95-88 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. The Horned Frogs have now won nine of their last 10 games.

The Cowboys kind of ran out of steam late, but they were a well-oiled machine for much of the game, especially in the first half.

They came out shooting well, but it was the result quality offense and spreading the wealth. The Pokes started 9-for-13 from the field and finished the half shooting 51%. They rebounded the ball, worked their offense inside-out and made the extra pass.

At the break, five Cowboys had at least six points in the first, led by 10 from Jaylen Curry and eight apiece from Anthony Roy, Benjamin Ahmed and Isaiah Coleman.

The Cowboys led by as much as seven, but it was pretty much a two-possession affair for most of the first 20 minutes. OSU took a 46-43 into the break.

Despite being down a couple of bigs in Parsa Fallah and Andrija Vukovic, The Pokes did their damage in the paint. In the first half, OSU outrebounded TCU 20-16. The Pokes 30 first-half points in the paint were the most in a half so far in the tournament.

Christian Coleman had six points in the first half and nine in the first five minutes of the second half. That’s fresh off a 17-point, 14-rebound game the night before.

Coleman helped start another 8-0 run by the Pokes which saw their lead extend to 67-57 by the 13:46 mark. That would be their biggest lead.

The Cowboys found themselves in foul trouble in the second half. Jaylen Curry and big men Ahmed and Mekhi Ragland each had four personal fouls just past the midway point of the second and had to hit the bench.

During that time with Curry, the Cowboys weren’t able to play with the same tempo. The Frogs rattled off six-straight points to go up 81-80 thanks to a Xavier Edmonds 3-pointer with 5:40 to go. It was their first lead since just 90 seconds into the second.

The deep ball was a huge factor in the end result. Despite 52 points in the paint, the Cowboys were outshot on the perimeter, going just 4-for-19 from 3 (21%) to TCU’s 8-for-23 (35%).

The Cowboys hung with them but when you trade buckets, it’s hard to get your lead back. The Frogs took a six-point lead with another deep ball (this one by Tanner Toolson) with 1:56 to go and the Cowboys weren’t able to get back in front.

After owning the paint in the first, the Cowboys ended the game losing the battle of the boards 39-35 and being outscored in second-chance points 27-16.

Six Cowboys scored in double digits led by 25 and nine rebounds by Anthony Roy in his final game as a Cowboy. Christian Coleman scored 15 on 7-of-10 shooting and Kanye Clary added 14 and five assists.

TCU’s David Punch led all scorers with a career-high 26 points on just 14 shots.

With the loss, the Cowboys’ season ends at 19-13, a two-win improvement from Steve Lutz’s first season last year. They won’t make the NCAA Tournament but do have a chance at continuing their season in the NIT or the Crown.

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Read this original article at Pistols Firing Blog.

The NCAA wrestling brackets are set.

The 10 brackets were released on Wednesday, and Oklahoma State’s had an average seed of 7.

Here are a look at the seeds and each Cowboys’ path to a national title.

Seeds

125 — No. 5 Troy Spratley
133 — No. 1 Jax Forrest
141 — No. 2 Sergio Vega
149 — No. 8 Casey Swiderski
157 — No. 5 Landon Robideau
165 — No. 5 LaDarion Lockett
174 — No. 8 Alex Facundo
184 — No. 22 Zack Ryder
197 — No. 7 Cody Merrill
HWT — No. 7 Konner Doucet

125: No. 1 Troy Spratley

Overall Season Record: 16-3
Other Top Contenders: 1 Luke Lilledahl (Penn State), Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech), 3 Nic Bouzakis (Ohio State), 4 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh), 6 Jore Volk (Minnesota), 12 Vincent Robinson (NC State)

Overview: The 5 seed is nothing to be too upset about, but Spratley was hard done by his path back to the national final.

Should Spratley win his opening bout against Navy’s Andrew Binni, he would likely get a rematch from last season’s NCAA final against Vincent Robinson, who slid to the 12 seed despite his four losses this season coming to the 2 seed and the 7 seed in the seed in the bracket. Robinson beat Spratley in tiebreakers in last season’s national final. The two met at National Duals in November, where Robinson beat Spratley 3-2.

Get through that match and Spratley would likely either get a rematch of the Big 12 final against Stevo Poulin or unbeaten Sheldon Seymour out of Lehigh in the quarters.

Good seed, tough bracket.

133: Jax Forrest

Overall Season Record: 13-0
Other Contenders: 2 Ben Davino (Ohio State), 3 Marcus Blaze (Penn State), 4 Aaron Seidel (Virginia Tech), 5 Kyler Larkin (Arizona State), 6 Drake Ayala (Iowa), 7 Lucas Byrd (Illinois)

Overview: The 133-pound weightclass might be the deepest the country has to offer this year, and a kid who left high school early will lead the way. In fact, the bracket’s top four seeds are all freshmen.

Bluntly, Forrest is better than his quadrant of the bracket, but everyone is good; he’ll need to be on his A game.

Everyone will have their eyes on a would-be rematch between Forrest and Aaron Seidel in the semifinals. Forrest beat Seidel 10-9 in a February dual — by far Forrest’s most-competitive match to this point, as Seidel won the takedown battle 3-1.

The top dogs from the other side of the bracket are almost exclusively from the Big Ten. Ben Davino won that tournament, beating Marcus Blaze in the final (after Blaze beat Davino in the regular season). But that side also features last year’s national champ and runner-up in Lucas Byrd and Drake Ayala.

141: Sergio Vega

Overall Season Record: 19-0
Other Top Contenders: 1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), 3 Brock Hardy (Nebraska), 4 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State), 5 Luke Stanich (Lehigh)

Overview: Sergio Vega enters his first national tournament still having not given up a takedown. He earns the 2 seed behind two-time national champ Jesse Mendez. It’s a match the wrestling world wants, but there are some things to take care of before he gets there.

Vega’s would-be quarterfinal would be against Iowa’s Nasir Bailey, the 7 seed. The two wrestled at National Duals, where Vega beat Bailey 3-0 in sudden-victory. That was Vega’s fourth college match.

The would-be semifinal would come against Nebraska’s Brock Hardy. Vega has had Hardy’s number this season, beating him 13-2 at National Duals before pinning him in Lincoln in December.

149: Casey Swiderski

Overall Season Record: 14-5
Other Top Contenders: 1 Shayne Van Ness (Penn State), 2 Jaxon Joy (Cornell), 3 Cross Wasilewski (Penn), 4 Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech), 5 Koy Buesgens (NC State) 6 Caleb Tyus (SIUE)

Overview: If you’re looking for chaos, this might be the bracket for you.

Van Ness enters unbeaten but didn’t have the cleanest of Big Ten Tournaments. Past him, it sorta feels like anyone could beat anyone at any time.

Swiderski has losses to 5 seed Buesgens and 6 seed Tyus, but those were both were in the first semester.

Swiderski returned from injury to wrestle in the Big 12s, where he picked up his first conference title. He enters NCAAs on a 10-match winning streak.

Again, everyone is good, but Swiderski’s biggest test to get a quarterfinal match with Van Ness would be Utah Valley’s David Evans. The two missed each other at Big 12s, where Evans finished third.

157: Landon Robideau

Overall Season Record: 16-2
Other Top Contenders: 1 PJ Duke (Penn State), 2 Antrell Taylor (Nebraska), 3 Meyer Shapiro (Cornell), 4 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State)

Overview: Outside of 133, this 157-pound bracket might be the most competitive.

Freshman PJ Duke earns the top seed after he avenged his only loss of the year in the Big Ten final to reigning national champ Antrell Taylor.

Robideau’s would-be second round match would be a tough one against Iowa State’s Vinny Zerban. Zerban got hurt at Big 12s and didn’t place, but Robideau beat Zerban 4-1 in their dual this season.

In the semi, Robideau would get a rematch of the Big 12 final against Arizona State’s Kaleb Larkin. Larkin beat Robideau 4-3 in that match, but the Cowboy freshman was close on a few takedowns.

165: LaDarion Lockett

Overall Season Record: 16-2
Other Top Contenders: 1 Mitchell Mesenbrink (Penn State), 2 Joey Blaze (22-1), Mikey Caliendo (Iowa), 4 Nicco Ruiz (Arizona State)

Overview: This bracket feels like a Mesenbrink vs. the field, but that’s more a compliment to Mesenbrink than it is a knock on the field.

Lockett could get a rematch of the Big 12 final against Nicco Ruiz in the semis. Ruiz won that bout in tiebreakers.

The would-be semi would almost certainly be against Mesenbrink, one of the most offensive wrestlers in the country and a Hodge favorite. But if Lockett could upset the Nittany Lion, he can beat anybody.

174: Alex Facundo

Overall Season Record: 16-6
Other Top Contenders: 1 Levi Haines (Penn State), 2 Simon Ruiz (Cornell), 3 Chris Minto (Nebraska), 4 Carson Kharchla (Ohio State), 5 Patrick Kennedy (Iowa), 6 Matty Singleton (NC State), 7 Cam Steed (Missouri)

Overview: This is an interesting bracket for Facundo. He opens with Virginia Tech’s Sergio Desiante, the 25 seed, but Desiante beat Facundo 8-3 in the dual this year.

Should he avenge that loss, he’d likely get a tough Beau Mantanona in the second round.

So that’s two matches of intrigue, but if he wins both of those, he’d like get a bout with top seed Levi Haines, his former teammate in the quarters.

It’s a fun, but tough, draw.

184: Zack Ryder

Overall Season Record: 12-8
Other Top Contenders: 1 Rocco Welsh (Penn State), 2 Aeoden Sinclair (Missouri), Max McEnelly (Minnesota), 7 Angelo Ferrari (Iowa)

Overview: As far as 22 seeds go, Ryder is a dang good one.

He had to medical forfeit out of the Big 12 Championships after he dislocated his shoulder four times at the event, but he still battled long enough to earn his bid.

With that seed, the road will be tough, starting with Rutgers’ Shane Cartagena-Walsh before he’d likely see Big 12 runner-up Eddie Neitenbach (Wyoming) in the second round.

With that being said, Ryder, if healthy, will be competitive in both of those bouts.

197: Cody Merrill

 

Overall Season Record: 17-4 
Other Top Contenders: 1 Josh Barr (Penn State), 2 Rocky Elam (Iowa State), 3 Stephen Little (Little Rock), 4 Sonny Sasso (Virginia Tech), 5 Joey Novak (Wyoming), 6 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State)

Overview: Like 149, this is a bracket that has an undefeated Nittany Lion at the top but should be competitive throughout.

Merrill has wrestled three of the guys seeded ahead of him, and though he’s lost all of those bouts, one was in tiebreakers (Elam), one was in sudden-victory (Novak) and the other was by one point (Sasso). So, he’s right there with all of those guys, and his ability to keep matches close could make for an upset or two.

HWT: Konner Doucet

Overall Season Record: 17-3
Other Top Contenders: 1 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State), 2 Isaac Trumble (NC State), 3 Taye Ghadiali (Michigan), 4 AJ Ferrari (Nebraska), 5 Nick Feldman (Ohio State), 6 Nathan Taylor (Lehigh)

Overview: Sort of a tough seed for Doucet given two of his three losses this season came to the 1 seed and the other came to the 4 seed.

The likely second-round match against Arizona State’s David Szuba would be a big match. Doucet beat Szuba 5-2 back in November.

The would-be quarterfinal against Isaac Trumble would also be a big one, as some are predicting Trumble as the favorite in the bracket. They didn’t wrestle when their teams met at National Duals, instead Doucet teched backup Everest Ouellette.

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The good news keeps rolling in as it pertains to the Cowboy wrestling program.

David Taylor picked up a commitment from Class of 2027 prospect Ladd Holman on Tuesday. Out of Utah, Holman is the No. 39 wrestler on Flo’s big board for the 2027 class, a board that was lasted updated in November.

 

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Holman ranks fourth in Flo’s 190-pound rankings, which is regardless of classification. The top guy in those rankings is OSU 2026 signee Michael White.

He won his third state title in February, and none of his matches lasted longer than 48 seconds, as he went pin, pin, pin, pin.

Holman won his state title as a sophomore at 157 pounds. In that bracket, he pinned his first three foes in the first period before earning a second-period tech in the final.

Holman took fifth in freestyle at Fargo last year at 175 pounds. He also wrestled in the Greco bracket at the event, where he took second. He took eighth at Super 32 in October at 190 pounds, an event White took fifth at.

Holman marks the third pledge in Taylor’s 2027 class, joining top 10 recruits Ignacio Villasenor (No. 7) and Tanner Hodgins (No. 9).

This star-studded class continues a trend for Taylor since taking over the OSU program.

Taylor’s current lineup is littered with freshmen, as Jax Forrest, Sergio Vega, Landon Robideau and Dee Lockett are all true freshmen who will wrestle at nationals for the Cowboys next week.

Then on top of that, OSU’s 2026 class ranks first nationally and features Dreshaun Ross, Jordyn Raney, Jayden Raney, Michael White and Rocklin Zinkin.

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STILLWATER — It feels like Oklahoma State finally has a quarterback that can really put fear into opposing defenses this season. Add in his top receiver (who finished third nationally in receiving yards) and his running back (who paced the country with 29 touchdowns), and it’s easy to see why Oklahoma State’s offense has gotten so much press.

And yet, for all of that talent, the defense won the first day of practice.

“It’s taken me a while to learn how to deal with that, to be honest with you,” head coach and offensive playcaller Eric Morris said. “So it was really good for me to go to Washington State and work for a defensive head coach like Jake Dickert. And sometimes practice was scripted for the defense, really, to have success.”

That’s not how Morris came up in the coaching world under guys like Mike Leach. The offense was almost always the star of the show, and if the defense won the day, Morris used to go home frustrated.

Although he still didn’t seem thrilled by that development on Monday, he spoke of matching the defense as an opportunity for his offense. Morris made it clear he isn’t going to hold back defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity for the sake of his side of the ball.

“I allow Skyler to do whatever he wants and install it at his own pace,” Morris said. “I think you get a bunch of places, and the head coach doesn’t want you to blitz for the first two days, and it’s a progression in that way.

“I’m a big believer where I want to see the blitzes because I can teach off of them. We’re gonna have to face that during the course of the season, so he needs to get good at what he’s going to do on defense and vice versa on offense.”

Although fans will have to wait until April 18 to get their first glimpse of what Cassity’s defense looks like, players took a stab at filling in the blanks during recent weeks.

“It’s simple,” Malik Charles said. “It’s a lot like (former DC) Coach (Todd) Grantham’s in a way, just a lot more simplistic, and it’s set up for us to make plays.”

“I really liked Coach Grantham’s defense,” Jaleel Johnson said. “I feel like it was great for me. He put me in position to make plays. … Coach Cass, it’s the same thing. He puts us D-linemen in position to make plays. He doesn’t want us taking on double-teams. It’s a one-on-one block for all of us, and I really do like that.”

“I think he’s aggressive,” North Texas transfer linebacker Ethan Wesloski said. “He’s gonna be simple in that fact that he’s gonna get after you, and he’s not gonna shy away from you, he’s not gonna shy away from a team, a scheme, a competition. So, being able to pin your ears back and go get somebody is something I like.”

Wesloski spent the last year leading Cassity’s defense, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he started in the same place his defensive coordinator did.

“I think we’re just an aggressive, attacking style of defense,” Cassity said. “We’re very, very multiple from a front and coverage standpoint, but our identity is always going to be about playing fast, playing aggressive and trying to play physical.”

The quotes could be a bit muddied, considering the media spoke with two of OSU’s top pass rushers last year and a UNT linebacker. Those guys certainly paint a picture of a defense that racks up sacks and tackles for loss.

But statistically, that’s not where Cassity’s defense separates itself.

Last season, North Texas finished fifth nationally in turnovers gained (28). In 2024, his Sam Houston defense finished seventh (27) in the same category.

Individually, turnovers are often viewed as something of a fluky, hard-to-predict stat, but they can be more reliably expected from a big-picture season perspective because it’s common for certain defenses to generate them at a much higher rate.

Having a good offense put pressure on opponents to score certainly helps.

That’s one category Oklahoma State should do better in after forcing only 15 turnovers last season, but the hallmark of Cassity’s defense might be something a little more, well, boring.

Pro Football Focus graded UNT out as the nation’s best-tackling defense and 18th in coverage. His Sam Houston group ranked 45th in tackling and 37th in coverage, though that unit did have the advantage of finishing 35th in pass rush.

“At the end of the day, it’s a violent game, and you’ve got to play violent defense, but you’ve got to do it sound,” Cassity said. “You’ve got to do it from a discipline standpoint, and you’ve got to play as a unit. As soon as you start playing 10 guys doing things right and one is not, then things don’t go very good. So, we’re always going to be disciplined.”

“Discipline” certainly lacks some of the pop you get when throwing the word “aggressive” around. Although there isn’t an official stat for missed tackles, yards per play allowed likely comes the closest since good defenses typically position themselves to limit big plays, or gains at all.

In his lone season at UNT, the Mean Green ranked 51st in yards per play, giving up 5.37. Quite the improvement from 2024, when UNT ranked among the worst teams in the nation, allowing 6.17 yards per play.

That same season, Sam Houston ranked 13th nationally, holding opponents to 4.78 yards per play under Cassity’s leadership.

Again, for context, Oklahoma State’s 2025 defense allowed 6.81 yards per play after giving up 6.48 in 2024.

Although Wesloski experienced a tremendous amount of success last season in the form of a team-high 113 tackles, including nine for loss, the linebacker said Cassity isn’t going to call the defense around any one player serving as the headliner.

“On the sideline, like he doesn’t have a call sheet in front of him,” Wesloski said. “He’s not looking down at something. He’s very, very smart. He’s gonna get us in the right spot more often than not, and if he doesn’t, then that’s on me to make him right, and it’s on the other guys around me to make him right.”

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