After all the hype, it's time for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls to play some meaningful basketball.
After landing some of the best players in the country, head coach Jacie Hoyt and Oklahoma State will host Southern University in the season opener for both teams on Monday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. It's the opener of a doubleheader with the Cowboys, who host Incarnate Word later that night.
For OSU , it's the first of 14 non-conference games to tune up for league action, which begins just before Christmas. For a program with massive expectations after an incredible offseason, the game serves as the beginning of what could be the biggest season in Cowgirls basketball history.
Here's how to watch it begin on Monday.
Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Jacie Hoyt. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Monday, Nov. 2
Time:5 p.m. CT
TV:ESPN+
Radio:Cowboys Sports Network
Southern:20-14
Oklahoma State:24-10
Southern:Carlos Funchess
Oklahoma State:Jacie Hoyt
Southern Jaguars head coach Carlos Funchess. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Jaguars are coming off a trip to the NCAA Tournament in March, where they won a First Four game over Samford before losing to South Carolina in the first round. Southern has won each of the last two SWAC Tournament championships. Funchess was part of the staff before taking over as head coach since 2018 the program has won four SWAC Tournament titles.
Southern usually plays several high-major programs each season. In 2025-26 the Jags upset Big 12 rivals Arizona and Houston in road games.
Liv McGill. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Hoyt is entering her fifth season with OSU and in three of her first four seasons she has taken the Cowgirls to the NCAA Tournament. The goal is no different this season. But the expectations that surround this team are sky high. OSU is the favorite to win the Big 12, as selected by the coaches and the media. NIL resources allowed Hoyt and her staff to procure the best transfer class in the country, including Crooks and McGill, the top two players.
Monday is the first step toward doing something that no Oklahoma State Cowboys team has done since 1991 - win a conference championship. From there, with the talent assembled, the sky is the limit.
Oklahoma State player Audi Crooks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Crooks will be the focal point of the offense in the opener, especially if McGill is unable to play. Last season with Iowa State the 6-3 center averaged 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds and was named an honorable mention all-America. She averaged nearly a point per minute. For teams that have adequate size, Crooks is hard enough to slow down.
Southern has four players that are six-foot or taller, including Zaria Hurston (6-0), Uniyah Franklin (6-1), DeMya Porter (6-1) and Anaja Hall (6-5). Hurston and Porter played for Southern last season and combined for more than 17 points and more than 10 rebounds per game. They're the pair that is likely to get first crack at defending Crooks.
The Jaguars will probably have to get creative with how they defend Crooks, especially in the low post. They could double team her or they could use exotic coverage like box-and-one. But the danger is Crooks' ability to find the opener player if she's double teamed. It's going to be a hard matchup for Southern to win.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oklahomastate as How to Watch Oklahoma State Cowgirls Basketball vs. Southern: Time, TV Channel, Matchup to Watch .
