It's a long road to March. Oklahoma State head coach Steve Lutz hopes that road leads to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cowboys hired Lutz to replace Mike Boynton Jr. and get the program back on a path where it contends for the NCAA Tournament every year. Under Boynton, the Cowboys were only able to get back to the Tournament one time. In Stillwater, that's unacceptable. It's up to Lutz to change that.

The Cowboys open the season on Monday at home against Incarnate Word, the first of 14 non-conference games that will allow the Cowboys to figure out what their team will look like once they get to Big 12 play.

Oklahoma State has also had the benefit of playing three exhibition games against three different teams with different styles of play. As the Cowboys prepare for the opener, here are three players that have distinguished themselves and improved their stock for the season.

G Anthony Felisi

Of the four members of Oklahoma State’s Top 10 freshman class, Felisi is the one who helped himself the most during the three exhibition games. Whether he started or came off the bench, he gave the Cowboys strong play and a couple of key areas. He proved himself to be a capable shooter from outside and, perhaps more importantly, produced as a rebounder.

That was a strength he showed during his prep career, but it's hard to know if that's something that will translate at the collegiate level. The Cowboys already have one talented perimeter rebounder in Kashie Natt. But it's great to have a second that can not only back up Natt but can start if Kanye Clary is not able to be ready for the season opener.

G Jacob Walker

Jacob Walker has consistently grown in stature throughout the exhibition season. During his final preseason press conference, Lutz talk about how Walker’s game has grown exponentially since he got on campus. Walker talked glowingly about his experience at Gallagher-Iba last year as a member of the Sam Houston Bearcats. He said he's looking forward to playing in front of a packed house for the first time against Incarnate Word.

Walker was one of the best players in Conference USA a year ago, but he was asked to be much more of a scorer by the end of the season. For the Cowboys he's going to be asked to do multiple things that aren't necessarily going to show up on the stat sheet, including defense. It's an area where Lutz wants to get better and it's an area where Walker can help make that happen.

G Kashie Natt

It's not a surprise that Natt is a good player. What may be a bit surprising is just how dominant he's been during the exhibition season. His game against Tulsa was incredible, as he led the Cowboys with 26 points, posted a double-double and nearly had a triple double with nine assists. He followed that up against Wisconsin with a 10-point, eight-rebound performance in which he also had four assists and two steals.

He's taken quickly to high major basketball and his trajectory has helped. He started his career in junior college, moved on to LSU-Alexandria, an NAIA school, and then transferred to Sam Houston. This is a player that has scratched and clawed for everything he's gotten and he plays like it. It's the sort of toughness and grit that will benefit the Cowboys far beyond the box score.

The exhibition season made it clear he needs to start, whether it’s alongside Clary or in Clary’s place if the fifth-year point guard is injured.