Cowgirls Rising in ESPN's Latest Bracketology
Oklahoma State is as hot as any team in the country, and it is catching the attention of national media.
On Friday, ESPN released its latest women’s bracketology, with Charlie Creme putting the Cowgirls in their highest seed yet this season. OSU currently sits as the No. 7 seed in the Birmingham region, sitting with UConn in the Storrs section of the bracket.
Of course, the Cowgirls are sitting at 12-1 and coming off of a statement win at Baylor on Wednesday. OSU won that meeting 84-61 despite entering the matchup as sizeable underdogs.
OSU’s placement at seventh in this bracketology also implies that the Cowgirls should be near a top 25 spot, with the seventh seeds effectively being the 25-28th best teams. Of course, the Cowgirls should have their sights set even further than just making a tournament appearance.
Should the Cowgirls maintain their spot among the Big 12’s best throughout the season, they could easily rise in the polls and in the NCAA Tournament seeding. In this edition of bracketology, the Big 12 has seven teams in, including two teams with a top-four seed. The big advantage that comes with a top-four seed is home-court advantage in the first two rounds.
If OSU can continue to establish itself as not only a Big 12 contender but a national force, it could find itself in Gallagher-Iba Arena when the tournament tips off in mid-March. That would mark the first time OSU has ever hosted as a top-four seed.
Throughout program history, OSU has only been a top-four seed twice and never higher than a No. 3 seed, with both occurrences happening under the late Kurt Budke in 2008 and 2010 when the tournament took a break from allowing top-four seeds to host and had predetermined sites.
The Cowgirls have been on a roll this season, and if they can continue this stretch, Jacie Hoyt’s team could make some noise come March.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.