With just two matches remaining, it's unlikely the Oklahoma State Cowgirls soccer team will make the Big 12 Tournament.

But they gave themselves a chance with their 2-1 win over West Virginia this weekend. The victory was a big one for Oklahoma State (6-7-4, 2-5-2 in Big 12). It was just their second conference win, and it brought them to eight points in the league standings.

Oklahoma State is still on the outside looking in for a tournament berth, but West Virginia is the No. 8 team in the standings with 13 points. That’s the final spot in the Big 12 Tournament. The Cowgirls are just five points behind them and have the tiebreaker.

For Oklahoma State to vault over West Virginia, the Cowgirls need to win their last two matches and for the Mountaineers to lose their final two matches. Plus, Arizona and Arizona State — each of which has 10 points — can’t be ahead of OSU when the season ends.

On one hand Oklahoma State has won more matches than it won last season. On the other hand, Big 12 Tournament play looks unlikely once again. But it's easy to understand why the climb has been so tough.

Why OSU’s League Has Been So Tough

The NCAA Tournament committee released its Top 16 seed rankings on Sunday. The rankings give fans and schools an idea of what the committee is thinking with the Tournament less than a month away.

The Big 12 had six teams among the top 16 seeds. They included No. 6 Colorado, No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 10 Baylor, No. 12 West Virginia, No. 14 BYU and No. 16 Kansas. That's more than one-third of the conference in line for a Top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That's one reason why Oklahoma State’s win over West Virginia was so significant. The Mountaineers are among the best teams in the country. It was Oklahoma State’s first win over a Top 16 team this season. But the Cowgirls have also played Baylor, Texas Tech and will play Colorado to end the season. Oklahoma State drew four of the top 16 teams in the country in conference play. That’s a rough draw.

The crazy part is that the Cowgirls played two Big 12 teams that were not among the Top 16 but are among the top eight teams in the conference. That included Houston, which is in fifth place with 19 points, and UCF, which is in seventh place with 16 points. OSU lost to both.

The Big 12 Conference has been a gauntlet this season. Oklahoma State drew as tough a schedule as one could have this season.