Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Basketball Earns First NCAA Tournament Berth Since 1996
March 13, 2007 | Cowgirl Basketball
For the first time since 1996, Oklahoma State's women's basketball team will play in the NCAA Tournament as the field of 64 was announced this evening.
The No. 10 seed in the Greensboro Regional, OSU will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take on seventh-seeded Bowling Green (29-3) in the first round on Sunday, March 18. The Cowgirls earned an at-large bid after finishing 20-10 overall and 8-8 in Big 12 play, while the Falcons won the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the third consecutive season to capture the league's automatic berth.
The Cowgirls and Falcons are slated for a 1:30 p.m. (CST) start time with the contest being televised on ESPN. The winner will advance to take on the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Vanderbilt and 15th-seeded Delaware State.
“Some of these girls have had some tough times. Going to the NCAA Tournament is very special. It is very special for me as a coach to be a part of this,” Cowgirl head coach Kurt Budke said.
The second-year OSU coach has directed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the country this season. After finishing 6-22 overall and 0-16 in Big 12 play a year ago, Budke's squad was picked last in the league's preseason poll before posting the program's eighth 20-win season en route to a sixth-place finish in the conference.
The Cowgirls, whose last postseason appearance came in the 2001 WNIT, have made seven previous NCAA appearances and own a 4-7 mark all time in the event. OSU reached the second round in its last appearance in 1996 and its best finish was a run to the Sweet 16 in 1991.
OSU was one of six schools in the Big 12 to make the field, joining Baylor, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
The No. 10 seed in the Greensboro Regional, OSU will travel to East Lansing, Mich., to take on seventh-seeded Bowling Green (29-3) in the first round on Sunday, March 18. The Cowgirls earned an at-large bid after finishing 20-10 overall and 8-8 in Big 12 play, while the Falcons won the Mid-American Conference Tournament for the third consecutive season to capture the league's automatic berth.
The Cowgirls and Falcons are slated for a 1:30 p.m. (CST) start time with the contest being televised on ESPN. The winner will advance to take on the winner of the game between No. 2 seed Vanderbilt and 15th-seeded Delaware State.
“Some of these girls have had some tough times. Going to the NCAA Tournament is very special. It is very special for me as a coach to be a part of this,” Cowgirl head coach Kurt Budke said.
The second-year OSU coach has directed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the country this season. After finishing 6-22 overall and 0-16 in Big 12 play a year ago, Budke's squad was picked last in the league's preseason poll before posting the program's eighth 20-win season en route to a sixth-place finish in the conference.
The Cowgirls, whose last postseason appearance came in the 2001 WNIT, have made seven previous NCAA appearances and own a 4-7 mark all time in the event. OSU reached the second round in its last appearance in 1996 and its best finish was a run to the Sweet 16 in 1991.
OSU was one of six schools in the Big 12 to make the field, joining Baylor, Iowa State, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
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