Can OSU get in?

Sean Sutton’s Cowboys have gone from contending for last place two weeks ago to now contending for a first-round Big 12 Tournament bye. And some are asking if OSU can somehow make the NCAA Tournament.

The answer is yes, but it will be hard. There are two ways, and winning the Big 12 Tournament is the LEAST difficult of the two:

1. Winning the Big 12 Tournament. Not nearly as crazy as it sounded awhile back. If OSU can go 3-1 down the stretch, finish 8-8, the Cowboys likely will be seeded fifth or sixth in the tournament. That means Colorado or Iowa State in the first round, then Kansas State or Texas A&M or somebody in the quarterfinals. KSU would be a load for OSU, but not unbeatable, and the Cowboys probably would be favored against all others in that. Then a semifinal against Kansas or Texas, followed by a final against the other. Nothing easy about that. But crazier things have happened. By far OSU’s toughest game would be Kansas in Kansas City. KU is a bad matchup for the Cowboys; OSU survived the Jayhawks on Saturday because they exploited another matchup, point guard Byron Eaton, but all those foul shots Eaton shot in Gallagher-Iba Arena aren’t likely to be available in KC.