What will Oklahoma State basketball’s offense look like in Year 2 under coach Steve Lutz?

STILLWATER — The new-look Oklahoma State men’s basketball team is set for its first action of the preseason against an actual opponent.

The Cowboys will face Auburn in an exhibition at 7 p.m. Wednesday as part of the Ballin in Boutwell series at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama. The game will be livestreamed on YouTube.

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Second-year OSU coach Steve Lutz rebuilt his roster, with just three players back from last year’s team. Lutz added seven transfers and five freshmen, but two of those freshmen are 22-year-old Europeans who cut their teeth playing high-level basketball overseas.

Lutz believes this team better fits the makeup of the type of roster he wants to build, with improved offensive focus and the athleticism to push the pace.

Here are three key questions for the Cowboys in their preseason debut:

More: Oklahoma State basketball adds 4-star forward Latrell Allmond to 2026 recruiting class

What will the offense look like?

Not hired until April 1 of last year, Lutz found the transfer portal shelves picked over by the time he was ready to shop. So building a roster that fit his playing style wasn’t necessarily an option last year.

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It was more about getting the best available players left on the market.

But with a running start into the offseason entering Year 2, Lutz and his staff were positioned to be more selective in recruiting transfers and freshmen whose skills align better with what Lutz expects his team to look like.

And a big part of that was improved offense.

“I think at times, we were really strapped last year in terms of being able to score,” Lutz said. “If we didn’t score in transition, if we didn’t get to the free-throw line, we had a hard time scoring baskets.

“This team’s shown the ability to put the ball in the basket. I feel comfortable with the fact that I think we’ll be able to still play at the same pace, but hopefully when we pass the ball and somebody’s wide open in the corner, we’ll have an opportunity to make it. Sometimes last year, we were more concerned with getting the offensive rebound than making the 3.”

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How far along is the defense?

A few players met with the media earlier this week and each of them spoke of the uptick in defensive intensity that they’ve experienced since arriving at OSU.

“He definitely showed us in those first couple practices what it’s gonna be like playing in the Big 12,” transfer guard Anthony Roy said of Lutz. “They were different. We definitely did a lot of running, a lot of defense, a lot of rebounding. It was all just new.”

One key of Lutz’s roster building was length, and he found that in wing players like Roy and VJ Miller, both of whom are 6-foot-5, and the 6-8 Christian Coleman, among others.

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In the frontcourt, the roster includes five players listed at 6-9 or taller after having just two last year.

More: Oklahoma State basketball adds Jalen Montonati, Owasso 4-star recruit, to 2026 class

Still, Lutz’s emphasis on defense is heavier than what many of the players have been familiar with.

“Just to keep it all the way 100 with you, we gotta pick it up. We’re kinda low on the defensive end because we got so many scorers,” Coleman said. “We gotta hang our hats on the defensive end if we’re gonna get to the NCAA Tournament.”

Who are key players to watch?

Looking at OSU’s most important players, it will likely take some time to fully settle who is at the top of the list. And despite Lutz’s focus on defense, it will be offense that most affects the decision.

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So here are three to watch in the preseason and non-conference portion of the schedule:

• Lefteris Mantzoukas: A 6-foot-9 Greek forward who has been playing some level of professional ball in Europe since he was 14, the man they call Lefty — though he’s a righty — can stretch the floor, having shot 45% from 3-point range over 53 career EuroLeague games. And he’s one of the aforementioned 22-year-old freshmen who will adapt to the physicality of the Big 12 game more quickly than a typical freshman.

• Anthony Roy: A 6-foot-5 wing with elite scoring ability, Roy averaged 25.7 points a game last season playing for former Cowboy Doug Gottlieb at Green Bay. An injury ended his season after 11 games, at which point he was averaging 5.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while shooting 43.2% from 3 and 50.3% from the floor overall.

• Kanye Clary: Though the Cowboys have some options at point guard, the 6-foot Clary’s playing style seems to best fit what Lutz wants on the court. He’s quick and strong with scoring ability that most showed in the 2023-24 season at Penn State when he averaged 16.7 points and 2.8 assists per game. An injury ended his season in late November last year at Mississippi State.

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on X at @ScottWrightOK. Sign up for the Oklahoma State Cowboys newsletter to access more OSU coverage. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

OSU vs. Auburn

TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Wednesday in Ballin in Boutwell series at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama (Youtube.com/@HibbettOfficial)

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State basketball debuts new roster vs Auburn in preseason