STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) Bucking the one-and-done trend across college basketball, Big 12 player of the year Marcus Smart announced Wednesday he will return for his sophomore season at Oklahoma State with a team that will be loaded with professional prospects.

Proclaiming he's a "Cowboy at heart," Smart said he made his decision after consulting with his family and praying on it, and knowing fully what he could be passing up by skipping this chance to enter the NBA draft as a likely top-five pick.

"There's a lot of speculation going. I've been bashed and criticized that I probably made a mistake of coming back here, the NBA will be there, I should have took it, and this year's draft class is much weaker than next year's," said Smart, who led the Cowboys by averaging 15.4 points and 4.2 assists last season.