Cowboy Basketball With Chance to Play Spoiler Against Cincinnati

Oklahoma State hasn’t had an ideal season, but it still has a chance to ruin a conference rival’s season this weekend.

The Cowboys are 14-16 and firmly out of the NCAA Tournament picture. With a 6-13 mark in conference play, the Cowboys have been hard-pressed to find any consistent success since the beginning of the Big 12 slate.

While a 6-13 record doesn’t exactly meet program expectations, it is a step forward from the 4-14 season OSU had last year. With Wednesday’s loss at UCF, the Cowboys secured a winless record in conference road games. Still, the Cowboys are 6-3 against Big 12 teams at home and will get to play their regular season finale in Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Although OSU has nothing to play for in terms of the NCAA Tournament, its opponent will have everything to play for. OSU will host Cincinnati on Saturday in the teams’ first meeting this season.

By simply looking at the standings, there isn’t much of a difference between the Cowboys and Bearcats. Cincinnati is three games better than OSU overall at 17-13 but only one game above the Cowboys in the Big 12.

With a win, OSU and Cincinnati would finish the regular season with an identical record in conference play. However, the Bearcats desperately need the win to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Going into Saturday’s matchup, Cincinnati is on the NCAA Tournament bubble and looking for anything to set it apart from other teams around it. In ESPN’s latest Bracketology, the Bearcats are in the next four out tier, effectively ranked as the sixth team on the outside looking in.

Only a week ago, Cincinnati looked well on track to make its way to the big dance, but losses to Houston and Kansas State in its past two contests have suddenly pushed the Bearcats to the brink.

While a win in Stillwater won’t necessarily give the Bearcats a free pass into the tournament, it could set up a Big 12 Tournament run that pushes them over the edge. Meanwhile, if the Cowboys can successfully play spoiler on Saturday, they will almost certainly keep the Bearcats on the outside regardless of what happens in Kansas City.

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