Women's Hoops Hosts Wichita State on Wednesday

(RV/RV) Oklahoma (10-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Wichita State (9-3, 0-0 AAC)

Dec. 29, 2021 / 6:00 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center / Norman, Okla.

NORMAN – Oklahoma (10-1, 0-0 Big 12) is set to close its non-conference schedule on Wednesday when it hosts Wichita State (9-3, 0-0 AAC) in Norman. The contest marks the fifth and final game of the homestand that opened on Dec. 4.

The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports Oklahoma with Chad McKee and Dan Hughes on the call and will air on the Sooner Radio Network on KOKC 1520 AM and KREF 99.3 FM/1400 AM.

THE STARTING FIVE

The Sooners enter Wednesday riding a seven-game winning streak that features wins over five teams inside the NET's top 75. The winning streak is OU's longest since it won eight consecutive in 2015-16.
The Sooners will see action for the first time since a 19-point comeback win over Utah on Dec. 21. The team scored a season-high 32 fourth-quarter points to complete the fourth-largest comeback in program history. Taylor Robertson led the team with 19 points, sinking four threes to bring her career total to 377 made 3-pointers, passing Aaryn Ellenberg's school record of 376. Madi Williams added 17 points, six rebounds and four steals in the win. Nevaeh Tot scored all 10 of her points in the fourth quarter.
Under head coach Jennie Baranczyk, the Sooners high-powered offense is one of the best in the country and on track to be the best in school history. Baranczyk's team averages 89.1 points, good for second-best in the country. The team's 19.4 assists per game rank fifth in the nation as five Sooners dish out at least 2.3 assists per contest. OU's 10.0 3-pointers made per game are the ninth-most in Division I as Taylor Robertson's 5.00 makes from deep lead the country.
OU's 10-1 start to the season is its best start since the 2006-07 season when OU opened the year 17-1 en route to a Big 12 Championship. The team is off to its best home start (6-0) since it won 12 straight at the Lloyd Noble Center to open the 2014-15 season. With the win over Utah on Dec. 21, Jennie Baranczyk now owns the best start for a first-year head coach in Oklahoma men's or women's basketball history, passing Lon Kruger, who opened 9-1 in his first season as the men's coach.
Oklahoma was six vote shy of appearing inside the AP Top 25 in this week's poll, receiving 78 votes. The Sooners earned 44 votes in the WBCA Coaches Poll, good for 29th had the poll carried that far. OU remains squarely in the conversation for a berth in the NCAA Tournament as its ranked 38th in the latest NET Rankings. The Sooners are trying to make their way into the Top 25 for the first time since week one of the 2017-18 season when they were ranked No. 21 by the AP voters.

SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS

The Sooners and Shockers are set to face off for the 21st time with OU holding a 13-7 series advantage. Despite the long series history, the two programs have only met twice since 2004, splitting those matchups. The Shockers got the best of the Sooners in the most recent game, winning 88-83 at home in 2019. The Sooners are 7-1 when hosting Wichita State, winning every home game vs. WSU since 1980.

The Shockers are 9-3 this season with two top-100 NET wins (N. Texas and Wyoming). They're led by Asia Strong's 10.6 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. The Shockers rank fourth nationally in rebounds per game (46.08) and 55th in opponent FG% (35/9%).

UP NEXT

The Sooners jump into Big 12 play on Jan. 2 when they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to take on Texas Tech (7-4) at 2 p.m. Oklahoma owns a 39-26 record all-time vs. the Lady Raiders, including a season sweep of last year's contests.