Cowgirls Earn Spot in AP Top 20 for First Time Since 2018
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Oklahoma State has its highest ranking of the season.
On Monday, the AP released the latest Top 25 poll, featuring OSU at No. 20. The Cowgirls moved up from their spot at No. 25 last week thanks to a dominant performance against Kansas State in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
OSU is one of five Big 12 teams in the ranking, joining No. 11 TCU, No. 14 Kansas State, No. 18 West Virginia and No. 25 Baylor. With the win against Kansas State, OSU moved to 4-1 against the conference’s other ranked teams, including one win against each.
After falling at West Virginia last weekend, the Cowgirls responded with a massive 85-55 victory against then-No. 12 Kansas State. The Wildcats had been sitting alone atop the Big 12 with only two total losses and one in conference play, but OSU made a statement.
With the win, OSU moved within one game of first place in the Big 12 standings with only six games remaining. With no ranked teams remaining on the regular season schedule and only one opponent in the conference’s top six, the Cowgirls are in a great position to potentially finish at the top of the Big 12.
Over the course of the final six games, OSU will have a chance to prove its status as not only one of the best in the Big 12 but also as one of the best teams in the entire country. While the Cowgirls might not have the big-name opponents on their remaining schedule to help them make significant jumps in the rankings, they do have a chance to show they are a tier above the teams below them.
OSU will get a chance to move up further in the rankings with two matchups this week. On Wednesday, OSU will get its first conference game against Arizona in Stillwater, followed by a Saturday matchup at BYU. Although Arizona and BYU aren’t near the top of the standings like OSU, taking care of business against lesser opponents is a key step to achieving OSU’s goals.
Throughout the season, Jacie Hoyt’s team has done a solid job of approaching every game with a similar mindset. However, slipups in games against Kansas and Houston mean the Cowgirls can’t overlook any opponent in the final month of the season.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.