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Oklahoma State Basketball: Cowboys nearly crack top 25 in AP Poll this week

By Andrew Miller

Jan 18, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) fights for position as Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Mitchell Solomon (41) defends during the first half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2017; Stillwater, OK, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) fights for position as Oklahoma State Cowboys forward Mitchell Solomon (41) defends during the first half at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Associated Press released their top 25 rankings for the week today, so where did the Oklahoma State basketball team fall?

The Oklahoma State basketball team did crack the top 25 this week for Bleacher Report’s rankings. Yet, where it matters in the rankings, with the Associated Press, the Cowboys were left on the outside looking once again.

Four Big 12 teams cracked the AP top 25 this week. OK State faces two of them. The four teams include the no. 24 Iowa State Cyclones, no. 11 Baylor Bears, no. 10 West Virginia Mountaineers, and no. 1 Kansas Jayhawks.

OK State faces both KU and ISU this week, giving them a chance to beat teams inside the top 25 to crack the top 25 themselves.

Overall, the Cowboys received 54 votes which puts them at no. 27 in the rankings. They finished only 12 votes behind the Minnesota Golden Gophers at no. 26 who finished with 66 votes.

OK State is up five spots from where they finished last week in the AP Poll at no. 33. They are one of the hottest teams in the country winning 10 of their last 11 games in one of the best conferences in the country in the Big 12.

The Cowboys have two more chances during the regular season to advance themselves in the rankings. They also have the Big 12 Tournament, where they likely come in as a five seed, to improve their resume.

ISU actually has one less win on their record than the Cowboys, but they sit in the top three of the Big 12 standings. OK State currently owns a record of 20-9 (9-7 Big 12).

OK State takes on ISU tomorrow at Hilton Coliseum at 8 p.m. CT. Hilton Coliseum is an incredibly tough place for opponents to play of late. ISU defeated both BU and KU as well in the last two weeks.

Next: Cowboys ranked 20th by Bleacher Report

Most importantly, the Cowboys take on KU on March 4 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in their regular season finale. KU has not defeated the Cowboys in Stillwater since the 2011-12 season. One of the Cowboys’ three conference wins last season came against KU at home.

You can view this week’s entire AP Top 25 rankings here.

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