What Latest AP Poll Means for Cowgirl Basketball
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Oklahoma State is inching a little closer to reentering the AP poll.
Over the weekend, OSU secured a win at Cincinnati in dominant fashion to mark the beginning of Big 12 play. In that matchup, the Cowgirls won every quarter, and there were never any doubts about how the game might go after a second-quarter run pushed OSU’s lead into double figures, which is where it would stay for the rest of the afternoon.
That win pushed OSU to 1-0 in Big 12 play and should give the Cowgirls a bit of a confidence boost after their recent struggles in nonconference play. Ahead of Big 12 action, the Cowgirls had posted an 11-2 record, but their losses to St. John’s and Oklahoma certainly didn’t do them any favors.
After climbing to the No. 18 spot in the AP poll early, the mid-November loss to St. John’s bumped OSU down to No. 24. Getting back up to No. 23 in the following weeks, OSU’s Bedlam loss knocked it out of the top 25 entirely.
In this week’s AP poll, the Cowgirls were on the outside looking in for the second week in a row, but they clearly aren’t far away from getting right back into the top 25. Receiving 37 votes this week, the Cowgirls were the first team outside of the top 25.
Effectively having the No. 26 ranking in the AP poll, the Cowgirls should be able to play their way right back into the rankings with some more solid performances in conference play. While OSU won’t play again until New Year’s Eve, it will have an immediate opportunity to prove itself, hosting No. 22 Baylor.
Last season, OSU was a surprise team in the Big 12 and went from an unranked team in the preseason to straddling the bubble of the top 25. With an impressive run in conference play and the Big 12 Tournament, OSU earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but a loss to South Dakota State in the first round ended OSU’s season at least a round earlier than they were hoping for.
Coming into this season already ranked, OSU clearly is seen as a threat to make some noise in the Big 12 and national picture. Although some mishaps in nonconference action have taken the Cowgirls out of the top 25 for now, their big win at Cincinnati and status as the first team out of the AP poll point to them likely getting right back where they belong in the coming weeks.
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.