It's been five seasons since the Oklahoma State Cowboys went to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Steve Lutz is determined to not make it a sixth.
The Cowboys open the season against Incarnate Word on Monday at Gallagher-Iba Arena, as the third-year head coach tries to get the Cowboys back into position to be a participant in March Madness.
Going into the game, Lutz gave reporters an update on players that didn't participate in the final scrimmage against Wisconsin, including two of which who were hurt.
G Kanye Clary
During its final press conference before the season opener, Lutz described Clary as "day-to-day" with a groin injury. He apparently suffered the injury between the first and second exhibition games and has not played in the last two exhibition games.
Lutz said that Clary is trending in the right direction and that he is hopeful that his point guard will be able to play against Incarnate Word. With him, the Cowboys will have their most experienced player with Lutz's offensive system on the floor. Last season he averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 assists
Without him Kashie Natt likely runs the point and freshman Anthony Felisi probably starts at shooting guard.
Lutz said he won't rush Clary back, so if there's any chance that he could have a setback by playing, count on him not playing. But, once he's healthy, he's in there.
G Luka Bogavac
The North Carolina transfer didn't play in the final exhibition game against Wisconsin, but Lutz said he's trending toward playing in Monday's opener. Lutz did not say why Bogavac did not play against the Badgers.
The Cowboys know what he can do. He's a talented shooter who can give them instant offense behind the arc and that's worth 10 to 15 minutes a game off the bench as he works his way into a potential starting job.
His level of defensive ability will determine how much more playing time he gets beyond being an offensive shot in the arm.
F Parsa Fallah
The Cowboys know that Fallah will be out for a while. He said at Big 12 media days that he hopes to be back sometime in December. That's a good timeline to return from a torn ACL suffered in February.
Fallah thought his career was over after that injury until he applied for another year of eligibility among a handful of other student athletes who are challenging the NCAA's new age-based eligibility rule because it didn't take into account students that hadn't used a redshirt and started College in 2022. Fallah is eligible on a temporary restraining order until his case is fully heard.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as Oklahoma State Basketball Injury Update: Everything Fans Need to Know Ahead of Opener.