Cowboys earn NIT bid, Host Davidson Tuesday

Image Taken at the Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Kansas Jayhawks Basketball Game, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Galagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, OK. Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

Photo by: Oklahoma State University

March 15, 2026 | Cowboy Basketball

Oklahoma State has accepted a bid to the National Invitation Tournament and will host Davidson Tuesday at 7 p.m. CT in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The game will be televised on ESPN2, with streaming available to verified subscribers through the ESPN app.

All tickets are priced at $25 and can be purchased at okstate.com/tickets.

Parking around Gallagher-Iba Arena will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, with the exception of Lots 4 and 6B.

With a win, OSU – a No. 2 seed in its eight-team regional pod – would be in line to host either No. 3 seed Wichita State or Wyoming in the second round (Saturday or Sunday), with quarterfinal action scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

No. 1 seed Tulsa, Stephen F. Austin, No. 4 seed UC Irvine and UNLV make up the other half of the Tulsa Region, the winner of which will advance to Indianapolis for the semifinals on April 2. The oldest postseason tournament in college basketball will conclude with the 88th NIT championship game on Sunday, April 5.

Find the official NIT bracket, schedule and scores — along with additional fan information — at NCAA.com/NIT and follow @NITMBB on Instagram and X.

This is Oklahoma State's 44th postseason tournament bid and its 15th NIT. The Cowboys were part of the inaugural six-team field in 1938, placing third, and have reached the quarterfinals in each of their last three appearances (2018, 2023 and 2025).

OSU is 8-4 all-time in NIT home games, including 6-1 in the first round.

Davidson is one of only three current Atlantic 10 Conference teams that OSU has never faced.

The Wildcats (20-13, 10-8) finished sixth out of 14 teams in this year's A10 race. They're No. 114 in both the NCAA NET and KenPom with a defense that ranks 89^th in efficiency and one of the nation's 25 slowest adjusted tempos.

The Cowboys (19-14, 6-12 Big 12) entered Selection Sunday ranked 75th in the NCAA NET, 66th in KenPom and 50th in Wins Above Bubble (WAB), after facing the nation's 39th-toughest schedule, according to KenPom, including the 15th-toughest slate of opposing defenses.

Despite that challenge, the Cowboys rank among the nation's highest-scoring teams, averaging 84.3 points per game (22nd), including 88.8 inside Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Second-year head coach Steve Lutz has helped restore home court advantage in Stillwater with a 27-9 home record over two seasons (16-1 against non-conference opponents).

Six Cowboys are averaging at least 9.8 points, led by guards Anthony Roy (17.2 ppg) and Vyctorius Miller (10.9 ppg) who have combined to sink 132 threes on 38.5% accuracy.

Point guards Kanye Clary (4.8 apg, 2.34 A:TO) and Jaylen Curry (3.6 apg, 2.63 A:TO) are the pace-setters for an offense that ranks ninth nationally in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.

OSU's front court has been ravaged by injuries, most notably honorable mention All-Big 12 forward Parsa Fallah, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in late February. In his absence, the Cowboy front court has gotten a lift from senior forward Christian Coleman (9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and a group of underclassmen bigs that includes 6-11 freshman Benjamin Ahmed.

Lutz has now reached the postseason in each of his first five seasons as a head coach, including two NCAA Tournament appearances at A&M-Corpus Christi (2023, 2024) and another at Western Kentucky (2025). A year ago, he guided the Cowboys to NIT victories over Wichita State and SMU.