Cowgirl Basketball Set To Face Ivy League Champs In First-Round Matchup

The Cowgirls are officially in the NCAA Tournament, and are ready to make a run.

Mar 6, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oklahoma State Cowgirls guard Jadyn Wooten (6) celebrates a three pointer against the Kansas State Wildcats during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls are officially going dancing. 

The selection show for the Women’s NCAA Tournament took place Sunday night, and it was good news for the Pokes. Even after losing in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, OSU still landed in an eight-seed for March Madness. 

Oklahoma State was put in Region 2, slotting them to play in Sacramento and to have a first-round matchup with the ninth-seeded Princeton Tigers. Princeton is ranked No. 23 in the nation and earned an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, as it won the Ivy League. However, the Tigers might not be the juggernaut they seem. 

Princeton does have an intimidating record at 26-3, but its level of competition compared to the Cowgirls is not even close. The Tigers took on only one ranked opponent all season, and it didn’t end well, losing to at the time No. 9 Maryland, 84-68. 

The Tigers would dominate in Ivy League play, going 12-2 and winning the regular season title. However, no other team in Princeton’s conference received a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cowgirls, on the other hand, have been playing tournament teams all year.  OSU had six ranked matchups this year, five of which were in its own conference. Eight Big 12 schools made the initial 68-team selection, meaning the committee deemed half of the conference worthy to play in March. 

This gives the Cowgirls the win in the experience category, and that seems to be enough to make OSU the favorite. ESPN analytics give Oklahoma State a 61.7% chance to win this first-round matchup, and DraftKings currently has OSU as a 5.5-point favorite. 

The Cowgirls will be looking to make these predictions a reality and avoid a first-round exit for the second year in a row. OSU hasn’t won a tournament game since the 2017-18 season, and is searching for its first one in the Jacie Hoyt era. 

The Pokes have finally earned what they have been searching for all season, and now it's time to make the most of it. They will need a group effort to take down the Tigers and will need to build momentum for the tournament ahead. 

A whole new season is beginning for OSU, as anything can happen in March. OSU must take it one game at a time and give every bout its full effort. 

The Cowgirls’ March journey will tip off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.