Are We Witnessing the Most Prolific Offense in Cowgirl Basketball History?

If you haven’t started paying attention to what Jacie Hoyt’s Cowgirls are doing this season, you probably ought to start.

Oklahoma State is 19-4 and enters this week at No. 20 in the AP Poll. The Cowgirls are 9-3 in Big 12 play. There are three teams tied at 10-2 for first in the Big 12, and OSU has beaten two (Kansas State and TCU) of those squads. And the Cowgirls are making all of this noise while playing a super exciting brand of basketball.

OSU averages 78.9 points per game. If the season ended today, that would be the most in a season in program history. The Cowgirls are shooting 46.7% from the field. If the season ended today, that would be tied for the best (with 1990-91) in a season in program history.

It’s modern basketball, as well. OSU shoots 36.2% from 3. There have been only four seasons the Cowgirls have shot 36% or better from 3-point range. During the 1987-88 season — the first year of the 3 in women’s college basketball — OSU shot 40.6% from deep, a percentage that hasn’t been matched since. But, that number came on 165 3-point attempts. Basketball has changed a little bit since then, as OSU has already taken 555 3-pointers this season (and made 201).

Only once has OSU shot 36% or better in a season where it attempted at least 350 3s. That season was Hoyt’s first in Stillwater, where her 2022-23 Cowgirls shot 36.6% from long range on a program-record 740 attempts.

Here is a look at every season the Cowgirls have scored at least 75 points a game:

That list of six teams the Cowgirls are on par with offensively includes two of the program’s three Sweet 16 squads (1990-91 and 2007-08). It also includes two of the three total conference titles the Cowgirls have ever won, as the 1990-91 squad won the Big Eight regular season and conference tournament crowns.

The scariest part about this team is this article could also be written about the Cowgirls’ defense. OSU is giving up 58.3 points a game while teams are shooting 35.1% against the Cowgirls. Only five times has OSU given up fewer than 60 points a game in a season, and that opponent field-goal percentage would be the lowest in program history if the season ended today.

“To have all the records we’ve had this year, we’ve kind of had records in different ways, right?” said Hoyt after Saturday’s win against Kansas State. “We’ve had scoring records. We’ve had winning-type records. Today was our fans (a Hoyt era attendance record). …

“All in all, we’re on the move. We’re on the rise, and we’re not going anywhere this season or even in the future. We had a lot of players on the floor (Saturday) that we plan on being back next year. I think it just speaks volumes to where our program is and how special everything is that we’re building.”

The Cowgirls have six regular season games to play, starting with a 6:30 p.m. Wednesday game against Arizona in Gallagher-Iba Arena.