A Little About A Lot

February is a busy time with basketball and wrestling in the meat of their schedule while the spring sports all get their seasons started . . . when Mother Nature cooperates anyway.

Both basketball teams had lengthy winning streaks stopped last Saturday at Northeastern State, though both continue to have great seasons. UCO's women had won nine in a row -- tied for the best winning streak in school history -- before falling to NSU, while the men had their school-record 16-game streak stopped by the RiverHawks.

Each team is already assured a spot in the LSC Tournament, which will be held in Bartlesville for the third straight year. The men will tie for the North Division title and earn the No. 1 seed with wins in their last two games, while the women will finish anywhere from first to third depending on what happens this week.

The final home games are Wednesday night against East Central, so come on out to Hamilton Field House to see two fine Broncho teams in action.

UCO's wrestling team begins post-season competition Sunday at the Super Regional Two Tournament in Warrensburg, Mo. The top-four placers at each of the 10 weights advance to the national tournament, with the Bronchos hoping to qualify all 10 individuals.

That will be a tough chore in a regional that includes top-ranked Nebraska-Omaha and No. 4 Wisconsin-Parkside, but UCO has been getting primed for a late-season push with two-a-day practices.

The Bronchos are off to their best start since 1989 on the softball diamond at 7-1, including a pair of one-run wins last week over No. 8-ranked Missouri Western. UCO has yet to play a game that was on its regular season schedule, having had to scramble around to find games the last two weeks after having two tournaments and a three-game series cancelled by weather.

Cold, rain and snow has also plagued the baseball team, with the Bronchos having played just four of the 13 games scheduled to this point. UCO's early schedule has been brutal, starting with four games at No. 10-ranked Abilene Christian and to open the season and then hosting No. 1 Emporia State in the home opener last week.

The Bronchos lost three of four to ACU despite leading early on in every game, but then bounced back with an impressive 10-8 upset of the top-rated Hornets.

Women's tennis also got their season underway with a pair of matches, one indoor and one outdoor. The Bronchos fell to Oklahoma State on the indoor courts at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club before routing Cowley County CC last week at home.