No. 1 OU Concludes Regular Season at No. 8 UCLA

No. 1 Oklahoma at No. 8 UCLA
March 13 | 4 p.m. CT | Los Angeles, Calif. | Pauley Pavilion

MATCHUP AT A GLANCE
	Oklahoma	UCLA
2016 Record	19-1-0	6-4-0
2016 Ranking	No. 1	No. 8
2016 RQS	197.765	196.865
2016 Scoring Average	197.514	196.683
2016 Team High	198.075	197.475

NOTES AND NUMBERS FOR MEET 12

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After competing at home the last two weekends, the No. 1 Oklahoma women's gymnastics team will conclude its regular season slate with a contest at No. 8 UCLA. The top-10 matchup is slated for a 4 p.m. CT start on Sunday inside Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Bruins lead the all-time series, 11-7-1, but OU has won the last three meetings, including the last regular season matchup in 2013 in Norman. The Sooners hold the second-toughest schedule in the nation this season according to Road to Nationals, and the Bruins are the sixth squad ranked within the top 10 and 14th within the top 25 that OU has faced in 2016.

ROAD WARRIORS
Oklahoma will look to continue its winning ways on the road when it travels to UCLA. In their six meets away from Norman this season, the Sooners have been consistent and successful, averaging an NCAA-best 197.383 on their way to a 12-1 record. The second-best away average so far this season is a 197.150 for Florida. In TWU's quad meet on Feb. 5, OU exploded for a then-season-high 197.925, which stands as the best road score in the nation this year and the third-best overall. The Sooners have snagged 18 team event titles and 22 individual crowns away from the Lloyd Noble Center in 2016. OU's road success is nothing new as it finished with the highest road average in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons with marks of 197.679 and 197.531, respectively.

BARS BOOM
On bars, OU has soared into the record books three times this season, adding the best, third- and fourth-best scores in program history (49.675 vs. Arizona, 49.600 at Perfect 10 Challenge, 49.575 vs. Michigan). The 49.675 stands as the highest total in the nation on the apparatus this season. In total, the Sooners hold three of the top-five bars scores in the NCAA this year. The Sooners returned just half of their bars lineup from 2015, but Oklahoma has not missed a beat, holding the top ranking on the event for the last five weeks. Individually, four Sooners sit within the top four nationally on the event. Junior McKenzie Wofford sits at No. 1 for the ninth consecutive week, while senior Keeley Kmieciak, junior Chayse Capps and freshman Nicole Lehrmann share fourth place.

RANKINGS UPDATE
After another strong performance last weekend, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the national rankings for the fifth consecutive week with a regional qualifying score (RQS) of 197.765. RQS is based on a team's six best regular season scores, three of which must be away. The overall high score is eliminated, and the five remaining scores are averaged. OU also holds the top spot on bars and floor with a 49.530 RQS on both events.

A GLANCE AT NO. 8 UCLA
UCLA checks in at No. 8 in the overall rankings this week and sits in the top 15 on all four events (vault - T9th, bars- T13th, beam - 6th, floor T-4th). Individually, four Bruins hold individual top-25 rankings, including Sophina DeJesus (T-24th on bars), Danusia Francis (T-1st beam with OU junior Chayse Capps), Sadiqua Bynum (T-4th on floor) and Angi Cipra (T-9th on floor). The Bruins, who are coached by 26th-year head coach Valorie Kondos Field, are coming off a third-place finish against then-No. 10 Georgia and then-No. 16 Stanford.

DANCIN' TO THE TOP
Entering the final rotation with a 0.225 lead over Michigan on Feb. 26, the Sooners exploded for a 49.700 on floor to secure the victory. The score was the second-best in program history and matches the highest in the nation this year. Throughout the year, OU steadily climbed in the floor standings, going from eighth in week three to third in week seven before moving into the top spot two weeks ago.

ON THE AIR
Sunday's meet will air live on the Pac-12 Network with Jim Watson (play-by-play), Amanda Borden (analyst) and Greg Marsden (analyst) on the call.

QUICK HITS

• Of the top 10 team scores in the nation this season, the Sooners hold four of those, including three of the top-five marks. OU boasts the second-, third- and fourth-best overall scores, with its 198.075 from Feb. 26 against then-No. 4 Michigan coming in as the second-highest total.
• On March 8, junior McKenzie Wofford earned Big 12 Event Specialist of the Week honors for the sixth time this season. OU has 18 total conference recognitions this year and has secured the specialist accolade each week.
• OU was ranked No. 1 in the 2016 NACGC Preseason Coaches' Poll for the first time in program history.
• The Sooners have cracked the top 10 in best scores in program history a total of nine times this season (three times for team scores, three times on bars, three times on floor). Their 49.675 bars total against Arizona is the best in school history.
• OU boasts 16 individual appearances in the top 25 of the national rankings, the second-most in the nation. The Sooners join Florida (17), Alabama (10), Georgia (10) and Michigan (10) as the only programs who can claim double-digit individual rankings.

Q&A WITH HEAD COACH K.J. KINDLER

On what she hopes to see from OU in its final regular season competition:
“With the season winding down and postseason upon us, we are looking for very detailed performances and great focus from our team. We really want them to have a championship mind set. The consistency from this group has been just awesome, so we are looking for more of that with some fine tuning!”

On OU's success away from Norman and preparing to face a highly-ranked squad in its home venue:
“We are very methodical about the way we travel and the physical and mental preparation the week prior to traveling. UCLA is a very talented team. In the final home meet of the season we expect the Bruins to produce their very best performance on Sunday. We are preparing to deliver our best as well.”

On what has led to the Sooners' success on bars this season, especially with three new faces in the lineup:
“Consistency. Consistency in expectations, practice, warm-up, touch and competition. The new faces are in front of very strong brains! Nicole, Chayse and AJ are very competitive athletes with super confidence. The transition for these athletes was simple because they applied other experiences to this new task. Returners have been stellar on this event this season. It's the result of a perfect combination of people working together.”

UP NEXT

The Sooners open postseason competition next weekend in Frisco, Texas, as they head to the 2016 Big 12 Championships inside Dr Pepper Arena. The meet will pit top-ranked OU against new conference member and No. 10 Denver, No. 25 West Virginia and Iowa State. Competition is slated to begin at 4 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 19. The Sooners will seek their fifth straight conference crown and eighth under 10th-year head coach K.J. Kindler.