Updated: Oklahoma State Is Headed To NCAA Tournament as No. 4 Seed

(This article has been updated with game time and televsion details)

STILLWATER – After one of the best runs to end a season for any team in the country, Oklahoma State was rewarded by being tabbed a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament. They’ll head to the tournament bubble in Indianapolis to face No. 13 Liberty on Friday, March 19.

Tipoff is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. CT in Farmers Coliseum and will be aired on TBS with Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner and Dana Jacobson on the call.

This marks the 29th appearance in the Big Dance for the Pokes and the first time they’ve been back in the NCAA tournament since 2017 under Brad Underwood. They lost to Michigan by one point in the opening round, 92-91.

2021 NCAA tournament bracket

As for the Pokes’ opponent, Liberty is sitting at 23-5 overall on the season and will enter the Big Dance on a 12-game win streak. Flames guard Darius McGhee was named the ASUN Player of the Year, as well as the ASUN Tournament MVP. He’s averaging 15.6 points, 4.4 rebound and 2.1 assists per game.

The winner will advance to face the winner of No. 5 Tennessee and No. 12 Oregon State. The match-up has the potential of having a lot of orange.

The Cowboys are coming off what many people believed to be an improbable run that ended in the Big 12 title game. While they lost to Texas 91-86, the Pokes still finished the season winning nine out of the last 12 games, including seven games over top-20 teams and four games against top-10 teams.

On the season, the Cowboys handed out upsets left and right. They knocked off No. 13 Texas Tech on the road in Lubbock, TX in overtime, No. 6 Kansas in Stillwater, No. 6 Texas in double overtime in Stillwater, No. 15 Texas Tech again in overtime, the second time in Stillwater, OU back-to-back as they were ranked No. 7 and No. 16 in those games, two-straight against West Virginia, in Morgantown, WV when the Mountaineers were ranked No. 6 then again in the Big 12 tournament when they were ranked No. 10. The Pokes also knocked off No. 2 Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament.

They’re led by Big 12 Freshman and Player of the Year, Cade Cunningham, who’s averaging a conference-leading 20.2 points per game. Cunningham had an electric Big 12 tournament as he finished with 71 points on 24-of-54 shooting, 19 rebounds and 12 assists. His 71 points is the seventh-best scoring performance in Big 12 tournament history.