Oklahoma State’s schedule next season is enough to produce nightmares, but it could have been much worse.

On Monday, the AP preseason poll for men’s basketball was released and featured six Big 12 teams. While having about a quarter of the top 25 is impressive, the conference boasts half of the top 10, including the nation’s top team.

Kansas’ No. 1 ranking topped the list, with No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Iowa State rounding out the top five. Meanwhile, the Big 12 also has No. 8 Baylor, No. 10 Arizona and No. 20 Cincinnati.

Expected to compete for the most NCAA Tournament bids of any conference next season, the Big 12’s dominance in the preseason poll is no surprise. Alongside the conference having six top 25 teams, another four Big 12 teams received votes: Texas Tech, Kansas State, BYU and Arizona State.

The top nine teams finished in the same order as the Big 12’s preseason coaches poll, with Arizona State effectively jumping TCU and UCF to jump into the conference’s top 10, according to the AP poll.

That leaves OSU as one of only six Big 12 teams failing to receive votes in the AP poll. Considering the Cowboys lost most of last season’s production, hired a new coach and have tried to build a roster through the transfer portal, their omission was expected.

While the Big 12 is a significant challenge for every team, OSU was somewhat spared in the scheduling. The Cowboys will face five of the conference’s top 25 only once, with two matchups against Houston. 

Still, OSU was picked to finish in the bottom three of the Big 12 and will not be favored in a majority of its games. With Steve Lutz taking over and a veteran group on the floor, the Cowboys could finish higher than expected if they can pull off a few upsets.

READ MORE: Game Time Announced for Oklahoma State at Baylor

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