In the world of college basketball, program success and failure truly is a year-to-year proposition.
Teams no longer have the continuity of the pre-transfer portal era. That, plus massive NIL money, means players sometimes change programs every year. So how a coach puts together the roster after each season means as much, sometimes more, than how they coach the team during the season.
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For Oklahoma State, Year 3 has some optimism attached to it. On Wednesday, Cowboys fans got a little more encouragement.
OSU’s Newest Power Ranking
CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein broke down the Big 12 Conference and unveiled his preseason power rankings. These assumes teams make no more additions, which of course is possible, especially as some players – like OSU’s Kashie Natt and Parsa Fallah – seek more eligibility in the court system.
What was encouraging was that Rothstein had OSU at No. 7. That comes after the Cowboys finished in a tie for 13th in the Big 12, were eliminated in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament and were eliminated in the second round of the postseason NIT.
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Why is this encouraging? Rothstein knows that only four Cowboys are back from a season ago, including guard Kanye Clary. But he also sees the recruiting class, which was ranked one of the best in the country, topped by McDonald’s All-American forward Latrell Allmond of Petersburg High School in Virginia. He’s likely to make an immediate impact.
He also sees the transfer class, which features a new starting forward with Big 12 experience in former UCF star Jordan Burks; a potential starting center in former Georgetown starter Julius Halaifonua; and a trio of shooting guards who can stretch the court in Jacob Walker, Andrija Grbovic and Luka Bogavac. Plus, there is Natt, who could be the starting off guard opposite Cleary if he keeps his eligibility. Fallah still must recover from a torn ACL before he can play.
This teams looks more balanced than a year ago, when much of the offense flowed through Anthony Roy. It looks like it has more options and can spread the floor more efficiently.
Another reason to be optimistic? Looking at the last four NCAA Tournaments, the Big 12 has had at least seven teams in each tournament. Last season the conference had eight.
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Power rankings are not real life, of course, but that power ranking puts the Cowboys just inside the line to make the NCAA Tournament.
So, yes, optimism should be a part of Cowboys fans’ offseason plans, at least as far as Rothstein is concerned.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as What Oklahoma State Basketball’s Power Ranking Should Tell Cowboys Fans.
