OSU basketball: Cowboys surprised with quick selection-show appearance, stout opponent

There was no wild roar from the players gathered on the couches in front of the televisions. But there were claps and cheers, then another reaction when CBS analyst Greg Anthony called the Cowboys a sleeper in that bracket.

“It did shock me, (being called) right away,” coach Travis Ford said. “I didn't expect it that quick.”

Ford figured his Cowboys would be a No. 5 seed and had a hunch they would get sent to San Jose. But there was a bit of surprise surrounding OSU's opponent, an Oregon squad that finished tied for second in the Pac-12 regular-season standings and won the conference tournament over the weekend.

“You really don't need to say anything else,” Ford said. “They just won the Pac-12 championship.”

Immediately after the Cowboys' spot in the field of 68 was revealed, Ford pulled out his iPad to start researching the Ducks. Many players took to Twitter to express their immediate excitement, with Le'Bryan Nash posting “I like that everybody talking about our matchup #spotlight.”