Oklahoma State Region Breakdown: Schedule, Bracket Preview

Friday’s Games

Game 1: USC Upstate vs. Oklahoma State, 1 p.m., ESPN+

Game 2: Alabama State vs. Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN+

Saturday’s Games

Game 3: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, TBA (elimination game)

Game 4: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, TBA (advances to Sunday’s final)

Sunday’s Games

Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (elimination game)

Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5

Monday’s Game

Game 7: Winner Game vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)

(Times subject to change for TV purposes)

Bracket Breakdown

Alabama

Alabama is the No. 1 seed in the bracket by virtue of hosting and is a No. 7 national seed. That seed is important for the Crimson Tide. If they win their regional, then they’ll host a super regional next weekend for the right to go to the MCWS in Omaha, Neb.

Alabama finished in a tie for fourth place in the SEC and lost in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals to Florida on Thursday. They’ll have more than a week of rest between that loss and their first game on Friday. Before the SEC Tournament the Crimson Tide had won eight of their previous 10 games, including series sweeps of Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

When OSU Could Face Them? If the Crimson Tide and the Cowboys win their games on Friday, they’ll play each other Saturday for the right to advance to the regional final.

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State is the No. 2 seed in the regional. The Cowboys lost in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals to Kansas on Friday and will have a week of rest between games. The Cowboys played their way into an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. By winning 10 of their last 12 games in the regular season they moved into a No. 5 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and there was no doubt they would be selected to the NCAA Tournament.

The Cowboys are tied for the third-most NCAA Tournament appearances ever. This is where they expect to be every May.

OSU’s Easiest Path to a Regional Title? The Cowboys need to beat USC Upstate Friday, beat their opponent on Saturday, projected to be Alabama and the win the regional final on Sunday without a loss.

USC Upstate

The Spartans are the No. 3 seed in the regional. The Spartans earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big South Tournament, doing so for the second straight year. USC Upstate enters the NCAA Tournament with an upset on its mind. The Spartans are hotter than the Cowboys on paper, as they are 14-2 in their last 16 games. They’re hitting .325 with a .527 slugging percentage since May 1.

This is the second trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history. Last year the Spartans made it for the first time and lost consecutive games to Clemson and Kentucky at the Clemson Regional.

Can USC Upstate Upset OSU? The Cowboys will play the Spartans on Friday. USC Upstate played three games against Texas, two games against Clemson and single games against Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. The Spartans won one game, which came against Clemson in a mid-week game in May. The combined record against power conference teams was 1-7.

Alabama State

Alabama State is the fourth seed in the Tuscaloosa Regional and earned its trip to the NCAA Tournament by winning the SWAC Tournament championship. Drawing the Crimson Tide as a first-round opponent allows for a short road trip. It was Alabama State’s second SWAC Tournament title in the last five seasons.

This will be the program’s third appearance in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 2016. They have not won a game in four tries. This is their second trip to Tuscaloosa for a regional (2022).

Will OSU Play Alabama State? Alabama State played Alabama to a 2-1 loss in a mid-week game in February. But they played another mid-week game in March and the Hornets lost, 13-4. It seems highly unlikely the Hornets will beat the Crimson Tide on Friday. It means the only way OSU will meet ASU is if the Cowboys fall to USC Upstate.