Oklahoma State Still Has Path to NCAA Tournament At-Large Bid
In this story:
Oklahoma State’s path to the NCAA Tournament is murky, but there might be light at the end of the tunnel again.
Going into Tuesday’s matchup against Colorado, OSU was nowhere near the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, or so it seemed. While the Cowboys still have an abundance of work to do to get back in the discussion to make the big dance, they might still have a chance at an at-large bid.
Although the Cowboys had seemingly blown some of their best opportunities to get back into the NCAA Tournament picture, making a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament without winning the whole thing might be enough to put OSU firmly on the bubble with an intriguing resume. On Wednesday night, the Cowboys will tip off their second-round matchup against TCU and look to avenge a couple of losses to the Horned Frogs from earlier this season.
While the matchup on its own might not be a huge boost to the Cowboys’ tournament hopes, it would ensure that a path to the tournament still remains for Steve Lutz’s team. In Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology, the Cowboys made their first appearance in quite some time.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 11, 2026
While they didn’t make any huge jump or even earn a spot in the First Four Out or Next Four Out, the Cowboys effectively earned the 12th team out ranking.
With several opportunities potentially remaining for OSU to secure some big-time wins, there’s a chance OSU starts making some dramatic leaps over the next few days if it can continue to win. Of course, the Cowboys have had their fair share of struggles in conference play, and there are no guarantees that OSU could climb into the tournament without the automatic bid.
Still, OSU’s resiliency over the past couple of weeks since losing Parsa Fallah has clearly been impressive enough to earn a mention in the conversation. If OSU can beat TCU on Wednesday night, it would set up a quarterfinal matchup against Kansas on Thursday.
While OSU was blown out by Kansas in the lone regular season meeting, a hot Cowboy squad with some confidence in Kansas City could make for an intriguing battle. It will take a few more upsets for OSU to truly get back in the tournament picture, but the hopes of securing an at-large bid might not be as far-fetched as it seemed heading into the Big 12 Tournament.
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.