Oklahoma State Faces Roster Rebuild After Portal Departures

Cowboys will have to reload through transfer market after losing several key players from last season's NIT squad.

Apr. 8, 2026 at 10:36pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented college basketball court scene, with sharp planes of color representing the unpredictable player movement in the transfer portal.Oklahoma State's roster overhaul exposes the fragmented nature of modern college basketball, where players' paths are increasingly unpredictable.Stillwater Today

Oklahoma State is facing another significant roster overhaul after several of its top players from the 2025-26 season have entered the transfer portal. While the Cowboys saw steady improvements in head coach Steve Lutz's first two years, the team was unable to reach its top goals last season and now must rebuild through the transfer market once again.

Why it matters

Oklahoma State has struggled to maintain continuity on its roster in recent years, with frequent player turnover making it difficult to build long-term chemistry and success. The Cowboys will need to quickly reload through the transfer portal if they hope to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

The details

Over the past few days, several of OSU's leading scorers and contributors from last season have announced plans to transfer out of the program. While the Cowboys will have some returning players, the majority of next year's roster is expected to be made up of transfers who played elsewhere last season.

  • Oklahoma State's 2025-26 season ended with a NIT appearance.
  • Several key players from that team have now entered the transfer portal in April 2026.

The players

Steve Lutz

The head coach of the Oklahoma State men's basketball team, tasked with rebuilding the roster through the transfer portal for the third straight offseason.

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What’s next

The Cowboys will need to be active in the transfer portal in the coming months to rebuild their roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, with the goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in several years.

The takeaway

Oklahoma State's frequent roster turnover has made it difficult for the program to build sustained success, but coach Steve Lutz will need to leverage the transfer portal once again to quickly reload and position the Cowboys to reach their March Madness aspirations.