Cowboys Improve Tournament Status With Texas Tech Win, but Still on the Outside

STILLWATER – Going into Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State was six teams outside the NCAA tournament in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology. The Cowboys found a way to leave Lubbock with a 71-68 win over the Red Raiders.

The win got the Pokes to 17 overall on the season and gave them their eighth win in Big 12 play. Not only did it improve their record, but it moved them up four spots in Lunardi’s latest Bracketology to just the third team outside the tournament. They’re also sitting at No. 43 in the NCAA NET.

The two teams ahead of the Cowboys in the ‘Last Four Out’ are Utah State and Clemson. The four teams who are the ‘Last Four In’ are Mississippi State, Nevada, Wisconsin and Penn State.

While the win didn’t get the Cowboys solidly back on the bubble, they’re certainly close enough that a couple of wins in the Big 12 tournament could very likely get them back into the mix.

They’ll have their first chance of the tournament against Oklahoma on Wednesday, March 8, at 8:30 p.m. CT. This will mark the third time these two teams will have played each other this season, with the Cowboys taking the first two games.

If the Cowboys can get past the Sooners a third time, they’d turn right around and face No. 2 Texas in a gauntlet of a game on Thursday evening. However, if the Cowboys can get past Texas in Kansas City, I think it could be enough to get them back into ‘Last Four In’ status. Especially if Florida finds a way to beat Mississippi State in the SEC tournament and Illinois beats Penn State in the Big Ten tournament.