Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set For First NCAA Action Since 1996
March 15, 2007 | Cowgirl Basketball
Cowgirl Basketball Travels To East Lansing For NCAA Tournament
Oklahoma State's women's basketball team (20-10) will make its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1996 when it takes on Bowling Green (29-3) in the first round on Sunday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. The Cowgirls enter play as the event's No. 10 seed, while the Falcons enter the mix as the No. 7 seed. The contest is scheduled to tip at 1:30 p.m. (CST) and will be televised by ESPN. The winner will move on to a Tuesday meeting with the winner of the contest between No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Delaware State.
OSU In The NCAA Tournament
OSU has made seven NCAA Tournament appearances in its history and owns a 4-7 mark in the event. OSU is 3-4 in first-round games and 1-2 during the second round. The program's lone trek to the round of 16 came in 1991 when OSU knocked off DePaul and survived a triple overtime contest against Michigan State before bowing out against Virginia. OSU reached the second round in 1996, defeating Rhode Island before losing to Georgia.
Big Dance Experience
While more than a decade has gone by since OSU's last NCAA Tournament berth, Cowgirl head coach Kurt Budke is no stranger to the event. In two seasons as Louisiana Tech's associate head coach, the program posted a 4-2 mark in the tournament, including a run to the regional final in 2001. In three seasons as head coach at Tech, Budke posted a 4-3 mark in the tourney, including two trips to the Sweet 16 . The lone Cowgirl with NCAA experience is Rashidat Sadiq, who saw limited action for Connecticut in the Huskies' three games in 2005.
What 2 Watch 4
The Cowgirls have played 320 games since their last NCAA Tournament game against Georgia on March 17, 1996 ... OSU is 3-4 all time in first-round games ... a win would be No. 21 for OSU on the season, marking the third-highest win total in school history ... the Cowgirls are 5-6 against teams in this year's field ... OSU owns wins over UC Riverside, Oral Roberts, Prairie View A&M, Iowa State and Nebraska and lost twice to Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
