9. Oklahoma State: C-
The Cowboys fall to nine on my list for quite possibly the biggest headline on the offseason in their one-year postseason ban. Our very own Karl Heiser gave a great breakdown on the details of the Cowboys punishment for the upcoming season and beyond.
Following a rather disappointing 18-14 season (7-11 in Big 12), OSU’s head coach Mike Boynton Jr. will have his work cut out for him in a postseason-less season, the Cowboys do have a few things to look forward to heading into the season.
Oklahoma State has put a lot of work into its recruiting in recent years and it has paid off. They snagged five-star point guard Cade Cunningham last year, as he will headline their upcoming class of five freshmen.
The 6-6 guard recently announced that despite the imposed sanctions he has no intention of leaving the program. The Cowboys are also excited to display two of their other top grabs in four-star guard, Rondel Walker, and three-star forward, Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe.
While Boynton will be interested to see what he has in his newcomers, he along with Cowboy nation alike will be relying heavily on Isaac Likekele to provide steady minutes. The junior guard averaged 10.9 PPG, bringing down 5.6 REB, and dishing out 4.5 AST.
Transfers will also play a big role for Oklahoma State, as they successfully brought in graduate student Ferron Flavors from Cal Baptist and Senior, Bryce Williams from Ole Miss.
Williams, the 6-2 guard played in 29 contests this past season, averaging 3.1 PPG over 13.3 minutes. Before Ole Miss, Williams played at Junior College, Daytona State where he posted an impressive 14.5 PPG while shooting 45.9% from the field. He also averaged 4.4 assists as well.
Flavors, on the other hand, averaged 13.5 PPG for the Lancers while hauling in 3.5 rebounds. The 6-3 guard shot a career best 41.8% last season.
Oklahoma State will try and remain hopeful on their appeal, but more likely than not they will be looking at a brief season. However, with a lot of talent pouring in, the Cowboys will hope to capitalize on this season, while showing recruits their intent to stay competitive for years to come.