Odds are long, but Cowboys hope strong finish will mean NCAA bid

The questions surrounding Oklahoma State men's basketball have changed dramatically. In the wake of three straight wins, including the Cowboys' 61-60 upset of Kansas on Saturday, the discussion is not about coach Sean Sutton's job security. It's about the bubble. Yes, the NCAA tournament bubble.

Two weeks ago, when the Cowboys were 11-12 overall and 2-7 in the Big 12, it didn't look like OSU had a shot at the NIT or the CBI or any other tournament someone might throw together in March.

While the NCAA tournament is still a longshot for OSU — now sitting at 14-12 and 5-7 — it's now a debatable issue.

That is, debatable given the following scenario:

If Oklahoma State can win out, starting with tonight's game at Missouri (15-12, 5-7), it will go to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament with a 9-7 Big 12 record (19-12 overall). That's no gimme as the Cowboys also have to beat Nebraska and Oklahoma at home and Texas in Austin on Senior Night to make that happen.

But for argument's sake, let's say Byron Eaton and the Cowboys pull it off. With two wins in the conference tournament, OSU finishes with a 21-13 record and a top 50 RPI.

What are OSU's chances if that happens?

Here's what the Cowboys have going for them in that scenario:

A strong finish. The NCAA tournament selection committee has always given extra consideration to the last 10 games of the season. This year, chairman Tom O'Connor said that will be expanded to the last 12 games. If the above scenario plays out, OSU would be 8-4 over its last 12 games, including several wins over highly ranked teams.

Mid-major mediocrity. Several conferences that have had multiple teams into the tournament in recent years do not look like they will get more than one at-large bid. Those include the Missouri Valley, Horizon and Conference USA, all of which will likely wind up with just one or two teams in. That The Cowboys have 21 wins, which is historically more than enough to get into the tournament.

Here's what the Cowboys have going against them in that scenario:

They lack a quality non-conference win. No, LSU and Washington don't count. Both are at the bottom of their respective conferences.

They have 13 losses. This is when the North Texas and Oral Roberts losses, along with the trio of Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, that keeps Sutton awake at night. History shows that getting into the tournament with 12 losses is a lot easier than getting in with 13.

Of course, all of this is idle speculation if OSU doesn't keep winning.

"That's all there is to it,” Eaton said. "We've just gotta ignore everything else and keep winning.”