Is Kansas Matchup the Final Stand for Cowboy Basketball's Tournament Chances?

Oklahoma State is set for a potential season-altering matchup.

On Wednesday night, OSU will host No. 8 Kansas in what might be the most important game remaining on the schedule for the Pokes. A couple of weeks ago, it looked as if this matchup against Kansas could be the final tally to the resume for OSU’s NCAA Tournament case.

Coming off a win against a ranked BYU team, it was assumed the Cowboys would lose at No. 1 Arizona, but with Arizona State and TCU matchups to follow, there was still a great opportunity for OSU to rack up some Big 12 wins.

Of course, things didn’t quite work out that way. OSU hasn’t won a single game since its upset against BYU and is slowly exiting the tournament conversation entirely. While wins against Arizona State or TCU wouldn’t have been significant resume boosters, the losses certainly became troubling marks on the Cowboys’ record.

Had OSU beaten Arizona State and TCU to rack up four wins in five tries, including a ranked win, the Cowboys might have been ready to add one last needed premier win to bolster their tournament case. Of course, that win could have come against No. 8 Kansas.

Yet, OSU now finds itself in a situation where it still needs that win against Kansas, but for a much different reason. While there was once a reality where OSU could’ve used a win of this magnitude to cement its spot in the big dance, it now needs a win of this magnitude to even stay in the conversation.

Cowboy basketball has been a disappointment in Big 12 play for years now, and it seemed like that might finally change after such a successful run in nonconference play. Instead, this season has been more of the same in Stillwater.

To avoid another season of things truly staying the same and OSU playing no meaningful postseason hoops, it must begin playing at a much higher level. Beginning with Wednesday’s game against Kansas, OSU’s margin for error the rest of the way is zero.

A four-game winning streak to finish the year with wins against top 10 teams in Kansas and Houston might not even be enough to dig the Cowboys out of their current hole. So, the Cowboys certainly can’t afford to drop any more games, regardless of the competition.

OSU’s NCAA Tournament hopes still exist, but they’re hanging on by a thread.