The Perfect Storm

Feb. 24, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- Twenty-five thousand eight-hundred sixteen.

Spelled out, the number is a lengthy word. As the total number of fans lined up outside Gallagher-Iba Arena and the Lloyd Noble Center to watch the 2008 Bedlam Series, the figure stretches much longer.

Suddenly, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State is women's college basketball's fiercest rivalry.

Exit the now defunct UConn-Tennessee series; the significance of Texas vs. Texas Tech has fallen off drastically in recent years; and USC-UCLA hasn't meant much since Lisa Leslie was in the fold.

The January edition of Bedlam produced the series' first sellout in Stillwater and the largest crowd in the history of the state of Oklahoma to be present at a women's college basketball game.

Saturday's matchup sold out 30 days in advance and filled the Sooners' home court to a facility record 102 percent capacity.

National rankings, state pride, program prestige and Big 12 Conference and NCAA Tournament implications -- no other teams were fighting for as much. At least, not with as much attention.

On the same day OU and OSU tilted, No. 7 Stanford defeated No. 8 California, 60-58, in a battle for the top spot in their conference standings.

A Pac-10 record crowd of 10,525 fans watched the game (filling Haas Pavilion to 89 percent capacity.) In comparison, OU has drawn larger crowds in 10 conference games, not counting the Big 12 Tournament, in the past two seasons alone. Three consecutive Bedlams have been sellouts.

The intensity that flared for two hours inside the Lloyd Noble Center Saturday exemplified why the series is named Bedlam in the first place.

It did not go unnoticed.

Fox Sports Net broadcast the game to a nationwide audience. The New York Times covered just two major college athletics contests Saturday -- the men's basketball matchup between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee and women's Bedlam.

That doesn't happen, regardless of rankings, if the arena isn't filled. Pat yourself on the back Sooner Nation.

Credit Oklahoma State fans, too. They showed up in large numbers. They were loud.

With the two teams playing this well, they could face each other for the Big 12 Tournament Championship in Kansas City.

With new fans joining the bandwagon, the likelihood of the NCAA adding both teams to the Oklahoma City Regional bracket becomes ever more possible.

The listed seating capacity for basketball at the Ford Center is 19,599. Here's to presuming, should the two squads meet again with a Final Four appearance on the line, that every seat is occupied.

And then some.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors