The moment Cowgirl basketball has been working towards all season has finally arrived.
The Pokes are set to open the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at 6:30. As the eight seed, they will be taking on the ninth-seeded Princeton Tigers. The Tigers present quite the challenge, as they are coming off an Ivy League Championship and are currently the No. 23 team in the nation.
The Pokes are looking for their first tournament win since the 2020-21 season, and are ready for it to be now. The Cowgirls have the firepower to make a run in March, but it must start with Princeton.
Here are three keys to a Cowgirl victory over the Tigers.
1. Explosive offense
The Tigers aren’t used to seeing the kind of scoring the Cowgirls can produce. Princeton averages 72.5 points per game as a team and limits its opponents to only 60 points per game. However, the Cowgirls average more than 81 points per game, and have scored over 100 points in four bouts this year.
Five Cowgirls are averaging double-digit points this year, and that offensive dominance will need to continue for OSU to win this game. If the Pokes can display the same offensive masterclass they have been able to put on before, the Tigers won’t be able to keep up down the stretch.
2. Win the turnover battle
Both the Cowgirls and the Tigers have struggled with turning the ball over this year, with Princeton averaging 13 per game and OSU 13.9 per game. It will be imperative that OSU wins the turnover battle on Saturday night, and that the Pokes don’t let the Tigers capitalize on their mistakes.
In Oklahoma State’s Big 12 Tournament loss to Kansas State, the Wildcats scored 17 points off of Cowgirl turnovers. This ultimately would help the Wildcats beat OSU, and it must be a mistake that the Cowgirls have learned from. Winning the turnover battle could be the key to winning this game, and OSU must make sure it’s on the right side of both.
3. Play like there is nothing to lose
This is the second year in a row that the Cowgirls have made the NCAA Tournament, but last year, they left without a win. Oklahoma State must realize that every game, its season is on the line, and the only way to advance is to win.
They have the opportunity to claim the first tournament win in the Jacie Hoyt era, and if they do so, they can continue to thrive in the tournament. Cowgirl basketball has had big plans for this season, and a huge step would include a win Saturday night.
