Cowgirl Hoops: Oklahoma State Gets an 8 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Set to Play Princeton

BRACKET

STILLWATER — The Cowgirls are headed to LA.

Oklahoma State earned an 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will play 9 seed Princeton in the first round with a shot at 1 seed UCLA in the second round.

This marks the third time in four Jacie Hoyt seasons that the Cowgirls made the Big Dance. OSU was a 7 seed last season and an 8 in Hoyt’s first year with the program.

“It’s an expectation for us to be in the tournament,” Hoyt said. “I remember that first year, we knew we were gonna be in, but I had never got to see — the only other time that I should’ve been in the tournament was the COVID year (with Kansas City) when it got canceled. So, I just remember my first year here seeing that come up on the screen and what that meant. Still today it means just as much, but the expectation has changed because now it’s about seed line, not just seeing your name.

“I love the trajectory of our program right now, but like I said for it to be an expectation now, we’re definitely headed in the right direction and want to continue to rise.”

The Cowgirls lost in the first round in their first two dances under Hoyt, but she thinks this squad is ready to take that next step.

“I have higher expectations for myself than anyone could ever have for me,” Hoyt said. “To not be in the tournament, that’s not really an option for me. But I do want to take a step forward now and win in the tournament. I am definitely ready for that, and I think our kids are as well.”

OSU enters the tourney at 23-9 and finished fourth in the Big 12 before the Cowgirls fell in gut-punch fashion in their first game at the Big 12 Tournament.

Princeton enters the NCAA Tournament at 26-3 this season — once to Maryland who was ranked ninth nationally at the time. The other two losses came to Columbia. The Tigers earned the top seed in the Ivy tourney and beat Harvard in the final.

This is the fifth straight NCAA Tournament for Princeton.

A fun bit of lore is that Oklahoma State got its colors (and at one point mascot) from Princeton and was once labeled the “Princeton of the Prairie.”

“I think this time of year, everyone is good,” Hoyt said. “Every single team that’s in tournament is gonna be really good, and you have to be at your best. You have to beat people this time of year because no one’s gonna beat themself. I don’t know much about Princeton, but just the respect that I have over the course of my coaching career is they’re not a team that’s going to beat themself. So we’ve definitely gotta be sharp.”