New-look OSU basketball roster presents intriguing lineup combos

G - Jarius Hicklen

The 2023-24 college basketball season is five months away, and there have been quite a few tweaks to OSU’s roster.

With the upcoming campaign still distant, here are three way-too-early starting lineups coach Mike Boynton and the Cowboys could roll out this season and what each one would look like should they take the court.

Lineup 1

G - John-Michael Wright

G - Javon Small

F - Bryce Thompson

F - Brandon Garrison

C - Isaiah Miranda

This group of five could be the early favorite to start Game 1. Wright

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Stillwater, OK 74075 and Thompson would bring familiarity to Small – who has college experience but is entering his first season with OSU after a career year at East Carolina –and a young frontcourt that includes a McDonald’s All-American in Garrison and 7-footer in Miranda.

Wright would likely serve as the primary ball handler, while Small and Thompson maneuver off-ball, with Garrison and Miranda looking to shut down the paint. Like many lineups the Cowboys could use, this one would allow OSU to play fast and get out in transition, something it wanted to do last year.

Lineup 2

G - John-Michael Wright

G - Javon Small

F - Bryce Thompson

F - Eric Dailey Jr.

C - Brandon Garrison

If Boynton aims for the highest ceiling possible, pairing his two highly touted freshmen in the frontcourt could check that box.

As for what this lineup would look like, 6-foot-10 Garrison would serve as the defensive anchor, and the Cowboys would instantly become more versatile on offense by adding Dailey Jr., a fourstar recruit out of IMG Academy, and his unique point-forward style of play alongside Wright, Small, Thompson and Garrison.

Dailey Jr.’s 3-point shot will be an interesting part of his game to watch, especially if he were to play alongside these four. With a perimeter shot not yet part of Garrison’s game, and Wright, Small and Thompson all being capable shooters, Dailey Jr. could unlock just about everything for Boynton and OSU or create spacing problems based on how productive he is from downtown.

Lineup 3

G - John-Michael Wright

F - Bryce Thompson

F - Brandon Garrison

C - Isaiah Miranda sports.ed@ocolly.com

Hicklen is a wildcard at this point, but he’d immediately provide perimeter shooting help to a squad that desperately needs it. In 2022-23 he shot 36.1% from 3 and 40.1% in 2021-22, a mark that ranked 33rd in the nation.

If Boynton does insert Hicklen into the starting lineup and use him off-ball, Thompson would see more on-ball shot creation opportunities, an area that’s been a big part of his scoring output. And by running Hicklen with the starters, there’s a world where Small could be better utilized as the primary ball handler with second-unit lineups instead.

5. BYU – Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, @ Arkansas

Sam Houston State wasn’t great a year ago, but they’re still dangerous. The Bearkats are making the jump to FBS this season after winning the FCS National Championship in 2020-21. A trip to Arkansas is never easy. That would be a big win for a BYU team that began last year at 4-5, including a 17-point loss to the Razorbacks.

6. Baylor – Texas State, Utah, Long Island

The Bears like playing Utah teams in September. They played BYU in Provo last season and will host Utah this season. The Utes have become a machine, winning back-toback Pac 12 titles, and playing in two consecutive Rose Bowls. Baylor is behind BYU only because the Bears don’t play a road game. Long Island has a football team? Seriously, the Long Island Sharks is a great name, though.

7. Oklahoma State Central Arkansas, @ Arizona State, South Alabama

Taking a glance past Central Arkansas, a trip to Arizona State is an OK game on the road at a Power Five school. Who knows how good the Sun Devils will be. Probably not very good. They begin their first year after coach Herm Edwards was fired, and they lost quarterback Emory Jones in the transfer portal but gained Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne. And don’t overlook South Alabama. The Jaguars went 10-3 last year with a one-point loss at UCLA.

8. Kansas State – Southeast Missouri State, Troy, @ Missouri SEMO is a dud of a game, but Troy is another sneaky good Sun Belt Conference team, similar to South Alabama. The Trojans went 12-2 last year and are projected as an eight-win team by oddsmakers, according to Vegas Insider. Also, who doesn’t like a good throwback Big Eight game? A trip to Columbia is a nice way to round out the nonconference.

9. TCU – Colorado, Nicholls State, SMU TCU gets to open the Deion Sanders era at Colorado. Will the Buffaloes be any good? It’s anybody’s guess with last year’s one-win campaign and the roster turnover in the offseason. But it’s an intriguing game. The Horned Frogs don’t play away from home this nonconference slate, with SMU crossing the DFW Metroplex. The Mustangs lost QB Tanner Mordecai but still look to be a solid team. And it’s a rivalry game, so props for keeping rivalries alive.

10. Cincinnati – Eastern Kentucky, @ Pitt, Miami (Ohio)

The Pittsburgh game really saves this schedule. Pitt isn’t the toughest place to play but give the Bearcats credit for scheduling an ACC team on the road. Miami – not the Florida kind – isn’t a flashy game, but the RedHawks are a decent team, capable of making a bowl game.

11. Kansas – Missouri State, Illinois, @ Nevada Illinois had a good season last year, going 8-5, but the Illini lost four of their final five games. It could have just been a shiny rock in the pan rather than gold. Nevada isn’t anything special, but it’s a road game at a historically respectable Group of Five program. All in all, it’s a solid schedule on paper for Kansas that has recognizable names who are just beatable enough to possibly help the Jayhawks reach their second-straight bowl game.

12. Oklahoma – Arkansas State, SMU, @ Tulsa Give the Sooners a break for this nonconference schedule. They were supposed to play defending national champion Georgia in Norman this season, but it was axed as OU couldn’t make a return trip to Georgia to complete the homeand-home series before the Sooners join the Bulldogs in the SEC – whereas the TexasAlabama series did make the cut. SMU was a nice last-minute grab for the Sooners. Still, Tulsa and Arkansas State isn’t a great one-two punch. Sidenote: SMU has been left out of Big 12 expansion, but that hasn’t stopped it from scheduling two Big 12 teams.

13. UCF – Kent State, @ Boise State, Villanova This is a pretty gross schedule. Kent State could be one of the worst teams in FBS this season, and Villanova was a six-win team in the FCS, with losses to the likes of Towson and Monmouth. Boise State makes the schedule a little better but talk about a road trip. There’s 2,623 miles separating Orlando, Florida, and Boise, sports.ed@ocolly.com

Idaho. But they’re entering a conference with BYU, so chalk it up as good practice.

14. Houston – UTSA, @ Rice, Sam Houston State Come on, Cougs. A pretty bad schedule. This schedule sounds like a team that is used to playing in the American Athletic Conference. Houston isn’t leaving the state of Texas for a nonconference game and doesn’t play a Power Five school. UTSA went 11-3 last season, but they’re bound to drop off.