The Cowboys didn't take John Calipari's Memphis Tigers quite as lightly. An early 12-1 run gave Oklahoma State a 21-8 lead eight minutes into the game. By halftime, the score was 41-19 OSU. McFarlin picked up his second double-double in as many games with 13 points and 10 rebounds, as all five starters scored in double figures. Joey Graham led all Cowboys with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, and OSU defeated Memphis, 70-53, to advance to the Sweet 16.

Oklahoma State traveled to East Rutherford, N.J., for the regional semifinals and finals. It was the same arena OSU played in when it advanced to its last Final Four in 1995. In the Sweet 16, the Cowboys met ninth-ranked Pittsburgh and a formidable lineup that included Chevy Troutman, Chris Taft and Julius Page. Oklahoma State trailed by two at halftime, 28-26, but Tony Allen keyed a late 17-5 spurt and finished with 23 points as OSU defeated the Panthers, 63-51.

In the regional finals, the Cowboys met up with the national player of the year Jameer Nelson and the Saint Joseph's Hawks. It was a much ballyhooed contest, and was exciting enough to earn a nomination as the game of the year on the ESPYs. St. Joe's led by six at halftime, and the No. 1 seed appeared to be headed for its first Final Four appearance. However, John Lucas' three pointer with 6.9 seconds remaining, and Nelson's near miss at the buzzer, assured the Cowboys of their trip to San Antonio.

In the national semifinals, OSU faced an upstart Georgia Tech squad that had won the Preseason NIT, beaten North Carolina twice, and defeated Duke during the season. The Yellowjackets had B.J. Elder, Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum on their squad, but it was the inside play of Luke Schenscher that ended the Cowboys dream season. The Aussie center recorded 19 points and 12 rebounds, and a Bynum layup with 1.5 seconds left gave Tech the victory.

All in all, it was an improbable run by Oklahoma State, a run which will lead to bigger and better things for the Cowboy Basketball program.

OSU then faced the third-ranked team in the nation and the top seed in the East in ACC Champion Wake Forest. Reeves battled with WFU standout Tim Duncan as Reeves scored 15 points and added nine rebounds. Randy Rutherford led OSU with 23 points and 11 rebounds as the Cowboys won a narrow 71-66 victory.

OSU then defeated Massachusetts 68-54 in the regional final at East Rutherford, N.J. behind 23 points and 10 rebounds from Reeves, as well as 12 points and eight rebounds from Scott Pierce. OSU limited UMass to just 27.6 percent shooting in the game.

At Seattle, OSU drew top-ranked UCLA in the first semifinal game. The teams entered the locker room tied at 37. OSU started the second half with a Terry Collins three-pointer to put the Cowboys up 40-37. UCLA then raced out to a 48-40 advantage before OSU regained the lead at 49-48 with 9:33 left in the game. The two teams stayed close until the final 2:30 of the game.

Randy Rutherford drained a three-pointer to pull OSU within 62-61 at the 2:44 mark, but those points would be OSU's final of the game. UCLA ran off the game's final 12 points and advanced to the championship contest.

Reeves completed his college career with 25 points and nine rebounds against the Bruins in his final game at Oklahoma State.

A 68-44 loss to Kansas State in the regional finals sent the Aggies to Minneapolis, Minn., to face Illinois in the national third-place game. The Illini defeated A&M, 61-46, as the Aggies finished the season with a 29-6 record.

A&M then defeated Nebraska 53-35 in NCAA District play before beating Wyoming 40-39 to set up a Final Four matchup with Oregon State.

The Aggies defeated the Beavers 55-30 and advanced to the NCAA title game against Kentucky. However Alex Groza and company proved too much for A&M and the Aggies finished the year as the national runner-up.

What might have been even more amazing was the fact that all five A&M startes composed the first team of the All-Missouri Valley Conference.

The Aggies lost their second game of the year when DePaul upended A&M, 46-42, in Stillwater. The Aggies ran off 15-straight victories, including a 46-38 win at DePaul, before falling to Bowling Green. A&M then closed out the season with 15 straight wins and the national title for the second-straight year.

Center Bob Kurland was tabbed the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year.

A&M owned a 7-3 record through mid-January, but after back-to-back losses to NATTA Skyjackets and Arkansas, Henry Iba's team finished the year on a 20-1 run, losing only to DePaul in early February. The Aggies entered the NCAA Tournament with a 24-4 record on the season.

A&M crushed Utah, 62-37, and Arkansas, 68-41, in the NCAA Regional at Kansas City to advance to the title game against New York. There the Aggies claimed a 49-45 victory for its first of two consecutive national titles.

Bob Kurland threw in 22 points while Cecil Hankins added 15 in the championship game. New York's lineup included hall of famer Dolph Schayes, but A&M proved to be too much in gaining the victory.