Cowgirl Basketball Must Look Ahead to the Postseason After Latest Setback

The regular season can't do much more for the Cowgirls.

Mar 7, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls head coach Jacie Hoyt looks on from the sideline during the first half against the Texas Tech Lady Raiders at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-Imagn Images | Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is in one of the most interesting situations in the country, and the final week of the regular season could prove that once again.

On Saturday, OSU women’s basketball suffered its worst defeat of the season, a 72-40 blowout against West Virginia on the road. Now sitting at 10-6 in the Big 12, the Cowgirls went from a dark horse contender for the regular season conference crown a few weeks ago to an afterthought in the Big 12 race.

The 32-point loss marked the Cowgirls’ third loss in their past six games, all coming on the road. With three home wins in that stretch as well, it’s clear that the consistency just isn’t there for OSU as the regular season winds down.

For OSU to get where it wants to be this season, it has to find consistency in March. At this point, it’s clear that consistency won’t come during the regular season in any form.

Yet, there’s still a chance for Jacie Hoyt and company to begin putting together some plans that could result in what OSU is looking for when the biggest games of the season tip off. Sure, OSU entered the season with hopes of establishing itself as a Big 12 power and being in the running to host in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

While those goals are effectively unattainable for OSU at this point, there is still an opportunity to be a dangerous team when March rolls around. After all, the Cowgirls have looked like a true contender when they can get into a rhythm.

The problem all season, of course, has been that they simply can’t find that rhythm in every game. While it would be more than understandable across a five-month season to have a game here and there where OSU isn’t playing to its standards, this has become a near-weekly tradition for the Cowgirls to simply look nothing like the team they want to be.

Over the next two games, OSU has to simply be thinking about what it can do to prepare for the postseason. Of course, winning will still matter, as OSU doesn’t want to free-fall into the tournament bubble, but it’s unlikely that any win would have a significant impact on where OSU lands in the postseason picture.

OSU’s road to a successful postseason is a bumpy one, but it has to begin with some better performances to finish the regular season.