Oklahoma State Proved NCAA Tournament Bid Was Deserved in Athens Regional

Oklahoma State had plenty of doubters entering the postseason but proved its worth on the big stage. 

Going into the NCAA Tournament, it seemed like the Cowboys were simply there because of a hot couple of weeks to finish the season. Of course, that was partially true. 

Before OSU managed to win nine of its last 10 regular season games, it was sitting firmly under .500 and near the bottom of the Big 12 standings. While it might have seemed like the end to the regular season was a bit of a fluke, there was some hope that it was the Cowboys finally reaching their immense preseason potential. 

In the Big 12 Tournament, OSU opened with a strong performance against Baylor before blowing a hefty lead against Kansas. Going into the Kansas matchup, it seemed like OSU could essentially seal its NCAA Tournament hopes. 

Of course, the loss put OSU’s postseason hopes in jeopardy. After earning the third seed in the Athens Regional, it felt like the Cowboys had accomplished their goal for the season, considering how rough the past few months had been for a team with such high hopes. 

However, OSU’s celebration quickly halted after it fell to Duke in an uncompetitive regional opener. The Duke loss was so bad it even led to questions about OSU’s legitimacy as a tournament team. 

Even with a bounce-back performance against Binghamton, it felt like the Cowboys hadn’t necessarily established themselves as worthy of the big stage. Of course, their doubters would soon be silenced. 

On Sunday, OSU trailed by two runs against No. 7 Georgia entering the bottom of the ninth. A couple of two-run homers to tie and win the game helped the Cowboys eliminate the host in the Athens Regional and advance to the Regional Final. 

While OSU’s rematch against Duke on Sunday night ended with a heartbreaking loss, Josh Holliday’s team left no doubts that it belonged in the spotlight.