BRACKET

The Cowboys’ 2025-26 season rolls on.

Oklahoma State accepted a bid to play in the NIT and will welcome Davidson to Gallagher-Iba Arena at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The Pokes are the 2 seed in the Tulsa Regional. They’d host the opening two rounds, but if OSU and Tulsa both made it to the quarterfinal, the Cowboys would make the eastward trip on the turnpike and play in T Town.

This marks the second time in as many seasons under Steve Lutz the Cowboys will play in the NIT. They made it to the quarterfinal round of the event last season before falling to North Texas.

OSU enters the NIT at 19-14 after falling in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. After that loss to TCU, Lutz said he’d talk with the squad about the possibilities of accepting a bid in the NIT or Crown, and it looks like the Cowboys elected to keep playing.

Davidson is 20-13 this season, the program’s fourth under Matt McKillop. The Wildcats earned the 6 seed in the Atlantic-10 Tournament last week, where they went 1-1.

There’s a loose link between the rosters, as Parker Friedrichsen is at Davidson. From Bixby, Friedrichsen was at one point committed to be a Cowboy. After spending two seasons at Wake Forest, Friedrichsen is in his first as a Wildcat and averages 10.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists a game while shooting 41% from 3.

Should OSU win in Round 1, they’d host the winner of Wichita State and Wyoming in the second round.

 

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BRACKET

STILLWATER — The Cowgirls are headed to LA.

Oklahoma State earned an 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play 9 seed Princeton in the first round with a shot at 1 seed UCLA in the second round.

This marks the third time in four Jacie Hoyt seasons that the Cowgirls made the Big Dance. OSU was a 7 seed last season and an 8 in Hoyt’s first year with the program.

“It’s an expectation for us to be in the tournament,” Hoyt said. “I remember that first year, we knew we were gonna be in, but I had never got to see — the only other time that I should’ve been in the tournament was the COVID year (with Kansas City) when it got canceled. So, I just remember my first year here seeing that come up on the screen and what that meant. Still today it means just as much, but the expectation has changed because now it’s about seed line, not just seeing your name.

“I love the trajectory of our program right now, but like I said for it to be an expectation now, we’re definitely headed in the right direction and want to continue to rise.”

The Cowgirls lost in the first round in their first two dances under Hoyt, but she thinks this squad is ready to take that next step.

“I have higher expectations for myself than anyone could ever have for me,” Hoyt said. “To not be in the tournament, that’s not really an option for me. But I do want to take a step forward now and win in the tournament. I am definitely ready for that, and I think our kids are as well.”

OSU enters the tourney at 23-9 and finished fourth in the Big 12 before the Cowgirls fell in gut-punch fashion in their first game at the Big 12 Tournament.

Princeton enters the NCAA Tournament at 26-3 this season — once to Maryland who was ranked ninth nationally at the time. The other two losses came to Columbia. The Tigers earned the top seed in the Ivy tourney and beat Harvard in the final.

This is the fifth straight NCAA Tournament for Princeton.

A fun bit of lore is that Oklahoma State got its colors (and at one point mascot) from Princeton and was once labeled the “Princeton of the Prairie.”

“I think this time of year, everyone is good,” Hoyt said. “Every single team that’s in tournament is gonna be really good, and you have to be at your best. You have to beat people this time of year because no one’s gonna beat themself. I don’t know much about Princeton, but just the respect that I have over the course of my coaching career is they’re not a team that’s going to beat themself. So we’ve definitely gotta be sharp.”

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

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OSU Bullets

• Eric Morris is after a Houston area quarterback (here’s his profile) and appears to be closing in (HCS)

• Page to refresh tomorrow where you can get March Madness brackets here – Selection Sunday starts at 5pm CST (CBS Sports)

• Cowgirls dropped a close one to No. 25 Arizona State, 5-4 + the Cowboys got rocked in Orlando, 6-1 (X)

• New Cowboy defensive leader/linebacker Ethan Wesloski has been converted to wrestling fandom (PFB)

•  Mestemaker to Bowick? Mestemaker to Bowick. 

pic.twitter.com/AhFTmkcuxB

— College Football Alerts  (@CFBAlerts_) March 14, 2026

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Non-OSU Bullets

• I’m not convinced – but the argument for grilling frozen burgers • Where the world’s oil comes from • AAA points out where this year’s top booked spring break destinations are

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STILLWATER — There’s no question North Texas transfer Ethan Wesloski has embraced his new identity as a Cowboy.

Even though he was supposed to be watching his brother Nick play baseball for the Sooners, Wesloski couldn’t take his eyes off the screen showing the Big 12 Wrestling Championships.

“I didn’t know a thing about college wrestling until Jan. 16 or whenever the first dual I went to,” Wesloski said. “My roommate, Jack Puckett, he’d been a long-time wrestler and he’s from Oklahoma, so he was like, ‘Hey man, like you’ve gotta go to this.’ New favorite sport. It’s awesome.”

The linebacker finished the 2025 season as the face of the Mean Green defense. Wesloski paced the team with 113 tackles, including 59 solo. He also finished with a 90.6 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus, which put him more than 10 points higher than anyone else on the team.

It wasn’t just his teammates who couldn’t keep up.

That grade actually makes Wesloski the 19th-best defender in 2025 with at least 200 snaps and the fourth-best linebacker.

“Ethan has played so much football,” coach Eric Morris said. “He started for me, even in a different defense. This will be his fourth year back for him. A guy that has so many banked reps that you can’t really throw anything that he hasn’t seen.

“I think he’s such a smart, intellectual player. And so sometimes we’ve had to pull him back and say, ‘Hey, you’re thinking too much. Don’t try to out think yourself. You got to be able to see it and pull the trigger and play fast.'”

Morris described Wesloski as someone he looks to for vocal leadership on the defensive side of the football, and it sounds like he’s embracing a heightened leadership role this offseason.

“I’ve prided myself, even the last few years as an undergrad, being a leader as much as I can. … It’s really good, though, now I can sit, like guys come to me every day — ‘Hey, I saw this and this vs. this call, like what do you think?’” Wesloski said. “Being able to help guys through that so now we’re all playing one brand of football, and that, I think, is really important.”

Wesloski will likely have a very visible role on Saturdays this fall. He finished third in snaps for UNT last season and averaged more than 57 snaps per game.

He expects to show off his versatility quite a bit, which makes sense considering PFF had him play 209 snaps on the line as an outside linebacker and then more than 500 snaps at various linebacker positions closer to the middle of the field.

“It gives me a lot of versatility and that, it is good for the next level,” Wesloski said, discussing Skyler Cassity’s defense. “I can go from the WILL in nickel, I can go SAM in base, turn around and play SAM or WILL in three-down stuff, in our dime packages or even our 3-3 stack. So it’s important for me to be able to show I can play multiple positions on any down of the game.”

A lot of Wesloski’s conversations with reporters were about all the familiar players, coaches and defenses. When asked, he said it does feel a bit like North Texas just moved football operations to Stillwater, but the linebacker also made it clear he’s doing his best to forge new bonds with his new family here in Stillwater.

“I’m with them most days (more) often than not,” Wesloski said of his fellow UNT transfers. “But I’m also with my guys all the time still. Like, I’m still with a lot of defensive guys who aren’t from UNT because I want to build those really close relationships with those guys.”

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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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• 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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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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