Top-Seeded Oklahoma State Will Face Youngstown State in 2023 NIT First Round

The top seed in the NIT will have to serve as a consolation for the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State is the No. 1 see in the National Invitational Tournament and will face Youngstown State in the first round. It will mark the program’s 13th appearance in the NIT and its first since 2018. Tip for the matchup is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN+.

OSU will travel to Youngstown for the matchup because OSU is swamped with events this week, like hosting the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Should the Cowboys advance, they’d host the second round.

Traditionally, the NIT semifinals and finals are held in New York City, but should the Cowboys make it that far, they’ll play in Las Vegas.

OSU was the first team out of the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 68, which made them a shoo-in for the NIT. The Cowboys head into the tournament 18-15 having gone 8-10 in the Big 12 in the regular season and losing to eventual Big 12 Tournament Champion Texas in Kansas City.

This will be the first meeting between the Cowboys and the Penguins. Youngstown State went 24-9 this season with a first-place finish in the Horizon League.

The Cowboys last made the NIT in Mike Boynton’s first season at the helm. OSU advanced to the third round of the 2018 NIT with wins over Florida Gulf Coast and Stanford before falling to Western Kentucky.

NIT Bracket