It hurts.. but it's a good kind of hurt. NCAA

Tournament losses are the toughest.  They

sting much more than a loss in the NIT or CBI

or not even making it to the post-season.

 

   That's the good news for OSU hoops fans.

Just feeling that kind of pain means something

great has taken place in the process..

 

   OSU basketball is on the way back.  Sure, the

Cowboys lost to Pitt today in the second round of

the NCAAs, but the Cowboys have to feel good

about their performance down the stretch.

 

   Travis Ford's team won some clutch games to

earn its way into the field.  The Cowboys also

scored a Bedlam win over OU in the Big 12

Tournament and beat Tennessee in one of the

most exciting games of March Madness.

 

   And the first-half of Oklahoma State-Pitt may

have been the best 20 minutes of basketball

I've seen in a post-season game.  It was flat-out

incredible!

 

   Byron Eaton has also sealed his legacy with

the OSU fans.  The up-and-down senior has battled

weight problems and intensity issues since he

arrived in Stillwater.     However, Eaton finished his

career with some amazing shots and gutsy

comebacks.  The driving basket against Tennessee

is OSU's most memorable since John Lucas sunk St.

Joe's for a spot in the Final 4.

 

   Ford has also won over the O-State fan base

since the Obi Muonelo incident.  It looks like old

wounds are starting to heal and we might just

see packed houses at Gallagher-Iba again one

day.

 

     Now just cross your fingers and hope that

James  Anderson comes back.  With Anderson back,

the Pokes should carry this momentum into next

season.  And Keiton Page is going to be fun to

watch over the rest of his career.

 

   Welcome back OSU basketball.