Oklahoma State named top overall seed in NIT Tournament after missing NCAA Tournament
STILLWATER — Oklahoma State's resume was just short of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, but it was enough to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NIT Tournament.
The Cowboys were the first team out of the NCAA Tournament, leading them to the top seed in the bracket. They will open at Youngstown State at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
OSU declined to host the opening game due to a large amount of commitments for athletic staff this week. OSU is the host school for the NCAA wrestling tournament in Tulsa, requiring a large contingent of workers to be in Tulsa. OSU's women's basketball team will also be on the road for the NCAA Tournament. Other teams are also on the road.
"We wouldn’t be able to host it to our standard," a university spokesperson said.
The Cowboys have placed a bid to host the second round, should they advance.
Earning the overall top seed in the 32-team bracket was a consolation prize for missing out on a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
But the Cowboys were deemed to have too many Quad 1 losses and not enough quality wins in non-conference play to get into the field.
"Well, when you look at their resume, they had 18 opportunities in the Quad 1 and they won only six games," NCAA men's basketball tournament chairman Chris Reynolds said on CBS. "They had opportunities in the non-conference to win some games to enhance their resume and they fell a little short."
The Cowboys (18-15, 8-10 Big 12) have made just one NCAA Tournament appearance in six years under coach Mike Boynton, though one tournament was canceled. And last season the Cowboys were ineligible due to NCAA sanctions.
A loss to Southern Illinois — a Quad 3 team — in November left a huge dent on OSU’s chances this season. A loss to UCF later that month also did not help. But a five-game losing streak late in the regular season without star Avery Anderson III due to wrist surgery was a crushing blow.
OSU finished the season ranked No. 43 in NCAA NET Rankings. It was 6-12 in Quad 1 games largely due to the strength of the Big 12 Conference but 10-14 in combined Quad 1 and 2 games.
Seven teams from the Big 12 made the NCAA Tournament, including West Virginia, which finished one game behind the Cowboys in the conference standings. Both teams split their head-to-head matchups.
OSU now faces a Youngstown State team that went 24-9 overall and 15-5 in Horizon League play, winning the regular season conference championship. They have four players who averaged 13.6 or more points, including senior guard Dwayne Cohill, who averaged 17.8 points this season.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: March Madness: Oklahoma State basketball left out of 2023 NCAA field
