NIT Gives Cowboys Chance to Avoid Consecutive Losing Seasons
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Oklahoma State seemed to have locked up some unflattering history, but it will have an opportunity to change its fate.
OSU entered the 2024-25 season with low expectations, with no one expecting the team to play any basketball beyond the Big 12 Tournament. While the Cowboys missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season, they will be getting to play a little bit of postseason basketball.
OSU’s loss to Cincinnati in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament handed the team a 15-17 overall record, which would mark back-to-back losing seasons. Despite all of the bad vibes that come from Cowboy basketball for the past two decades, they haven’t had consecutive losing seasons since the 1987 and 1988 seasons, which were the first two years of Leonard Hamilton’s short run in Stillwater.
On Sunday night, the Cowboys were gifted an opportunity to avoid the fate of Hamilton’s first OSU teams. While they were unable to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the NIT gave the Cowboys a call.
OSU is set to play in the NIT for the second time in the past three seasons and will begin its run in Gallagher-Iba Arena. In a 32-team field, there are four portions of the bracket, with four sets of eight teams. OSU earned a No. 4 seed in the Dallas region, which has thrust it into a matchup with Wichita State on Tuesday night.
While OSU and Wichita State have played their fair share of contests over the past decade, this will be the teams’ first meeting this season. OSU last played the Shockers in the 2022-23 season on the road, coming away with a win. That win extended an interesting trend that dates back to the 2002-03 season.
In the past seven matchups between OSU and Wichita State, the road team has won. OSU owns the all-time series against Wichita State 31-11, with the two being former conference foes. Should OSU beat the Shockers, it would need to win its next two games in the NIT to secure a non-losing record and would have to advance to the championship game to secure a winning record.
While the road ahead isn’t easy, the Cowboys were wishing for another opportunity to play and have had their wish granted.
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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.