Cowgirls Get Home Matchup but Low Seed at NCAA Championship, Despite Big 12 Title

The Oklahoma State women’s soccer team punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season on Monday, and the 10th time in the last 12 years.

The NCAA announced the seeding for this year’s Women’s Championship earlier today, and while the Cowgirls were one of the 64 teams included, something was still amiss.

Our ticket to the @NCAASoccer Championship is punched – and it’s home sweet home for the 1st round! #GoPokes #okstate pic.twitter.com/ftdWpKS6IB

— Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) November 6, 2017

Of the five Big 12 teams in this year’s tournament, the Cowgirls were the second-lowest seeded team in the league. That’s the same Cowgirl team that won the Big 12 regular season title.

The NCAA doesn’t “technically” seed all 64 teams, they announce the top-four teams of each corner of the bracket. However, since the bracket sets up just like the NCAA basketball championship bracket, we can conclude seeds based on who is awarded home field for the first round, and who their second round match-up is if they win.

Based on that, here are the seeding, final Big 12 standing, and current RPI of each Big 12 team in the NCAA tournament.

While this isn’t a major snub, it is certainly a head-scratcher. As someone who watches the Cowgirl soccer and softball NCAA tournament games on my TV (and laptop when applicable), this ranking baffles me.

Granted, I love OSU soccer, but don’t follow the sport regularly enough to be able to explain how a Notre Dame team that went 9-6-4 is ranked No. 14. I assume it’s because the Irish are always good and they play in the ACC which is widely viewed as one of the top soccer conferences in the country. It seems the east coast bias goes beyond college basketball.

Check out #okstate reaction & hear @coachcolin_osu, @_haleywoodard & @AnnaBeffer18 discuss Cowgirls' @NCAASoccer Championship selection pic.twitter.com/uXqvbvzNFx

— Cowgirl Soccer (@CowgirlFC) November 7, 2017

All I know is this; OSU had a better season than an 8-seed that will have to travel to Duke for the second to face a Blue Devils team that’s 11-0-0 at home this season.

The Cowgirls get Missouri Valley champs Missouri State at home first, though, before they even get a chance at the Blue Devils. One problem, the game is on Saturday at 12 p.m., at the same exact time as OSU’s football game against Iowa State. Still, it will be worth at watch on the old laptop, or in person if you’re in Stillwater.

The Cowgirls are 9-0-0 at home in 2017.

“To get to play here in front of our fans, in front of our kids’ families is an amazing opportunity,” said head coach Colin Carmichael. “They’ve earned it. They’ve had a great season. They deserve the chance to play one more game on the home field, and we’re really excited about that.”