Three Things to Know Before the Cowgirls’ Regular Season Finale at Kansas

The Cowgirls only lost one game inside Gallagher-Iba Arena in the 2024-25 season, and now they get a chance for some payback.

No. 21 Oklahoma State heads to Lawrence to exact revenge on the Jayhawks, who handed the Cowgirls their only home loss of the season. Kansas has been much less dominant at home, going just 3-5 inside Allen Fieldhouse against Big 12 teams.

Here are three things to know before the two teams square off in each their season finales.

1. About That L

The Cowgirls will finish out their Big 12 slate with the team that handed them their first Big 12 loss.

Back on Jan. 4, Kansas came to Stillwater and dealt OSU a 75-66 defeat, leading for the last 18 minutes of gametime. Three Jayhawks went off with S’Mya Nichols pouring in 27 points and Regan Williams and Elle Evans adding 18 and 17, respectively.

In contrast, it was an off night for two of OSU’s best shooters, a benefit the Jayhawks probably shouldn’t count on. Anna Gret Asi went 0-for-9 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3, easily the worst shooting game of her career. She’s scored in double digits in her past four outings. Micah Gray went 1-for-8 (1-for-7 from 3), her worst shooting outing of the season. She’s coming off three-straight double-digits games.

On the whole, OSU shot just 36% from the field and 20% from 3 while KU went 42% and 36%, respectively. The Cowgirls held the edge in just about every other category that mattered (rebounds, second-chance points, free-throw shooting), save a couple. Although OSU scored 15 points of 14 Kansas turnovers, the Jayhawks scored 27 on 16 OSU giveaways despite a 19-5 Cowgirls advantage in fastbreak points. KU also outscored the Pokes in the paint 32-24. The common denominator is missed shots.

2. Big 12/Big Dance Seeding

As of writing, the Cowgirls’ 13-4 Big 12 record is tied with Kansas State and behind only TCU and Baylor, both at 15-2. OSU has locked up a top four seed in Kansas City, guaranteeing the Cowgirls a double bye, the ability to skip Wednesday and Thursday’s proceedings and face a tired team with fresh legs. And any wins they get higher up the bracket could further pad their March resume.

The Cowgirls are projected as a 7 seed in the latest ESPN Bracketology projection. If they can win at Kansas and then make some noise in Kansas City, they could see that number rise. For reference, the Cowgirls were an 8 seed two years ago in Jacie Hoyt’s first year, were as high as a 5 seed under Jim Littell and went as high as 3 under Kurt Budke.

3. More History on the Line

The Cowgirls already set a program record for most wins inside Gallagher-Iba Arena, but Sunday’s finale could push

If the Cowgirls win in Lawrence, they’ll finish the regular season at 24-5 for a win percentage of .828. At worst, if they lost their first game in Big 12 Tournament and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, they would finish 24-7, a win percentage of .774.

The Cowgirls’ highest win percentage in of the Big 12 era was back in 2007-08 when Kurt Budke’s third team earned a 3 seed and made it to the Sweet 16, finishing 27-8 (.771). Dick Halterman’s 1990-91 team finished 27-6 (.818), back when the Big Eight still existed.

So, OSU is flirting with the best season from a wins and losses standpoint in program history.

The Cowgirls and Jayhawks tip off at 3 p.m. Sunday in Lawrence.