The Oklahoma State Cowboys belongs to the Oklahoma State University. The university is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It is a land-grant university that was founded in the year 1890, under the Morrill Act.

The university introduced its men's basketball team in 1908. It represents the University in the NCAA Division I and they currently compete in the Big 12 Conference. The Cowboys appeared 22 times in the NCAA Tournament. They made it to the NCAA Final Four six times and to the Elite Eight eleven times. The team won the NCAA Championship two times in 1945 and 1946. They rank ninth in all-time Final Four and seventh in total NCAA Championships along with some other teams. They also rank 35th in total victories among all NCAA Division I college basketball programs.

Henry Iba had led the Oklahoma State Cowboys for 36 years. He took over the charge from 1934 till 1970. During his tenure the team had won the consecutive NCAA titles in 1945 and 1946. After his retirement, the team has been led by many coaches in the later period. Travis Ford is the current head coach, who has joined the team on April 16, 2008.

Gallagher-Iba is the home to the Oklahoma State Cowboys men's basketball team. The arena was originally inaugurated in 1938 as the 4-H Club and Student Activities Building. It was renovated in the year 1987 and renamed Gallagher-Iba after the wrestling coach, Ed Gallagher and the basketball coach, Henry Iba. Apart fro the men's and women's basketball programs, it is also the venue for the wrestling program of the Oklahoma State University. The arena holds a seating capacity for 13,611 people.