Where Do Cowgirls Rank Among Remaining NCAA Tournament Teams?

OSU is still standing as the second round approaches.

Mar 21, 2026; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Stailee Heard (32) and Oklahoma State Cowboys guard Jadyn Wooten (6) celebrate after defeating the Princeton Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State is still dancing, and it will be looking to prove its doubters wrong in the second round.

On Saturday, OSU secured its first NCAA Tournament win since 2021, beating Princeton 82-68 to move onto the second round for a Monday night matchup against UCLA. While the Cowgirls put together an impressive performance in the 8-9 matchup, they’ll now have to deal with No. 1 seed UCLA.

In an article for ESPN, Charlie Creme put together a ranking of the top teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament going into the Round of 32. While OSU put together a solid performance against Princeton, it still only ranks as the 25th-best team in the field.

“Nothing helps an NCAA tournament run like a player outperforming her stat sheet,” Creme wrote. “Achol Akot, who averages 11.6 points per game on the season, exploded for a career-high 28 points as Oklahoma State won an NCAA tournament game for the first time in five years. Princeton made a couple of runs in the second half, but the Cowgirls never trailed after grabbing the lead early in the first quarter. Eighth in the country in points per possession, Oklahoma State put three other players in double figures against the Tigers and have six players that average over nine points per game on the season.”

The Cowgirls are one of five Big 12 teams still alive, joined by TCU, West Virginia, Baylor and Texas Tech, which Creme ranked 9, 14, 24 and 29, respectively. While the Cowgirls have been used to facing that caliber of competition throughout the season, they will have their hands full on Monday night.

As the Cowgirls enter their next matchup as the 25th-best team remaining, they will have to match up against a UCLA squad that Creme ranks as the second-best in the entire tournament. It only takes a quick summary of the Bruins’ first-round win to understand exactly why OSU will be getting all it can handle on Monday.

“The Bruins won the second half 52-9,” Creme wrote. “Lauren Betts probably didn't get the ball enough but scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 23 minutes to lead five Bruins in double figures.”

Of course, it’s no surprise that OSU is facing an uphill battle going into Monday’s showdown against UCLA, entering as 26.5-point underdogs. Still, the Cowgirls have shown some flashes throughout the season that they can compete with top teams, but UCLA will be their toughest test yet.