Cowgirl Basketball's Dominance at Home Sets Up OSU for Postseason Success

The Cowgirls might be done playing in Stillwater this season, but they've gotten plenty out of their home games.

Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt celebrates during a women's college basketball game between the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (OSU) and the Houston Cougars at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. Oklahoma State won 83-52. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma State’s season has been a bit of a roller coaster, but it always manages to dominate in Stillwater.

On Saturday, OSU capped off its regular season with a win against Kansas in Gallagher-Iba Arena. The win set the Cowgirls up for a trip to Kansas City before making their way to yet another NCAA Tournament, with this season soon marking the third time in four tries under Jacie Hoyt’s watch.

While the Cowgirls have consistently been a good team that can beat just about any team in front of them, much of their success has come down to how dominant they are on their home floor. Saturday’s win over Kansas was just the latest example of how good OSU can be when it gets to play in front of its home crowd.

This season, OSU went 16-1 at home, with the lone loss coming against Baylor early in conference play. Finishing the season on an eight-game home winning streak, OSU’s success against Big 12 competition at home is well-documented.

This was also not the first time Jacie Hoyt’s squad has found a high level of success on its home court. Just last season, the Cowgirls went 17-1 in Gallagher-Iba Arena, with that team’s only loss coming against Kansas in the second conference home game.

After the Cowgirls went 17-1 at home last season and revamped the roster this offseason, there was some real optimism that OSU could put that home-court advantage to use in the postseason. With OSU entering this season ranked and considered a dark horse in the Big 12, there was an opportunity for the Cowgirls to compete for home-court advantage in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

While an undefeated Big 12 Tournament run might just be able to get OSU back into that conversation, it seems nearly impossible for OSU to get to a top-four seed and get some postseason matchups in Stillwater at this point. Still, OSU’s success at home has again helped it get to the NCAA Tournament, even if it won’t come with more home games.

The Cowgirls’ season has been a bit disappointing at times, but their ceiling is still high, and they have all of their goals still in front of them. Sure, the Cowgirls’ time in Gallagher-Iba Arena this season might be over, but they’ve still got plenty of opportunities to turn this year into the most successful in program history.