No. 11 Oklahoma (27-7) heads to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013, where it will face No. 3 UConn (33-3) on Saturday afternoon in Spokane, Wash. The No. 3 seed Sooners surged through the opening rounds, beating FGCU by 23 and Iowa by 34 to earn the program’s 11th Sweet 16 appearance.
Tip against the No. 2-seeded Huskies is set for 4:30 p.m. CDT (2:30 p.m. PDT) on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe on the call. The winner will meet either No. 1 seed USC or No. 5 seed Kansas State in the Spokane 4 Regional final on Monday for a spot in the Final Four.
Oklahoma is dancing for the fourth straight season under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. In their first year in the SEC, the Sooners are 27-7 and reached the SEC Tournament semifinals to earn an at-large bid to the dance. Winners of 11 of their last 12, OU hosted tournament games for the eighth time in program history and the second under Baranczyk (2022). The No. 3 seed is OU’s highest since its Final Four run in 2010. Historically, the Sooners are 22-7 when seeded third or higher and 7-2 as a No. 3 seed.
NOTES TO KNOW
• The Sooners entered the tournament as one of the nation’s top rebounding teams and have backed it up with two dominant performances. OU grabbed an NCAA Tournament record 72 rebounds vs. FGCU, then pulled down 64 against Iowa two days later. Oklahoma’s 136 total boards are the most in a two-game span in NCAA Tournament history and a program record. Oklahoma’s 68.0 rebounds per game in the tournament are 17.0 more than any other team, as the Sooners’ +34.0 rebounding margin leads the field by 13.0 (South Carolina is second at +21.0) entering the second weekend.
• OU has navigated the nation’s 19th-toughest schedule and ranks fifth nationally in Quad 1 wins with eight. The Sooners are 16-7 against top-100 teams, the 12th-most top-100 wins in the country, and went unbeaten in Quad 2-4 games (19-0) – one of just 11 teams with a perfect record in those matchups.
• Oklahoma’s experienced roster draws plenty of attention, but it’s no secret that the Sooners are also one of the most talented teams in the nation. The Sooners’ starting five features three McDonald’s All-Americans (Beers, Verhulst, Williams), while OU’s remaining two starters include Skylar Vann, the 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year, and Reyna Scott.
• Oklahoma’s 85.4 points per game in 2024-25 rank fifth nationally, and the Sooners’ FG% of 45.8% is the 30th highest in Division I. Additionally, OU’s 21.9 assists per game lead the country. OU’s program record for PPG in a season is 84.5 PPG in 1984-85.
A WIN WOULD…
• Advance the Sooners to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010 and the fourth time in program history.
• Secure Oklahoma’s 12th win in 13 games.
• Secure Oklahoma’s 28th win of the season, which would be the most since the 2009 Final Four team went 32-5.
•This is the 17th top-25 win under Baranczyk and the third against a top-five foe.
LAST TIME OUT
• Skylar Vann scored 17 points, Payton Verhulst added 16, and No. 3 seed Oklahoma cruised into the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament, dispatching No. 6 seed Iowa 96-62 on Monday. The Sooners will play in their 11th Sweet 16 in program history and the first since 2013. Raegan Beers had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks in just 18 minutes for the Sooners.
SERIES HISTORY
• Familiar foes will meet once again on Saturday when Oklahoma faces UConn in the Sweet 16. The two teams have met 13 times, but the Sooners are winless against the Huskies.
• The Sooners and UConn have met twice in the NCAA Tournament, with the Huskies knocking off Oklahoma in the 2000 Sweet 16 and then in the 2002 national championship. Oklahoma is 5-3 all-time in the state of Washington. It is 0-1 in Spokane, losing to Washington in the 2001 Sweet 16.
• Saturday’s first meeting between the two is the first since 2019. The Sooners’ streak of 13 losses is its longest losing streak to any program in the country.
UP NEXT
• A win would send Oklahoma to its fourth-ever Elite Eight, where it would face either USC or Kansas State on Monday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN in Spokane, with a Final Four berth on the line
