Can OSU get in?
Sean Sutton’s Cowboys have gone from contending for last place two weeks ago to now contending for a first-round Big 12 Tournament bye. And some are asking if OSU can somehow make the NCAA Tournament.
The answer is yes, but it will be hard. There are two ways, and winning the Big 12 Tournament is the LEAST difficult of the two:
1. Winning the Big 12 Tournament. Not nearly as crazy as it sounded awhile back. If OSU can go 3-1 down the stretch, finish 8-8, the Cowboys likely will be seeded fifth or sixth in the tournament. That means Colorado or Iowa State in the first round, then Kansas State or Texas A&M or somebody in the quarterfinals. KSU would be a load for OSU, but not unbeatable, and the Cowboys probably would be favored against all others in that. Then a semifinal against Kansas or Texas, followed by a final against the other. Nothing easy about that. But crazier things have happened. By far OSU’s toughest game would be Kansas in Kansas City. KU is a bad matchup for the Cowboys; OSU survived the Jayhawks on Saturday because they exploited another matchup, point guard Byron Eaton, but all those foul shots Eaton shot in Gallagher-Iba Arena aren’t likely to be available in KC.
2. Win out in the regular season, then make a run in the tournament. OSU goes to Missouri, then hosts Nebraska and OU, and finishes at Texas. The Cowboys can win those first three. Winning at Austin seems unlikely. But if OSU somehow pulls that upset, you’re looking at a new resume’. OSU would be 18-12 overall, with a 9-7 Big 12 record. OSU would be fourth in the standings, get a first-round bye, and play A&M (probably) or OU or Baylor in the quarterfinals. Win that game, then beat Texas on a neutral court, and even a loss to Kansas would leave the Cowboys at 20-13, with closing victories over Kansas, Texas twice, A&M twice (probably) and OU. And only two of those victories would have come in Stillwater.
It’s still a long, long shot for OSU, and it starts with winning Tuesday night at Missouri. But it’s possible. And that’s all the Cowboys can ask for.
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