#23 Sooners Host #12 Cyclones in Ranked Matchup

(23/25) Oklahoma (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)

(12/12) Iowa State (12-1, 1-0 Big 12)

Jan. 5, 2022 / 6:00 p.m. CT / Lloyd Noble Center / Norman, Okla.

NORMAN – Ranked women's basketball returns to the Lloyd Noble Center for the first time in nearly four years this Wednesday when No. 23 Oklahoma (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) hosts No. 12 Iowa State (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) at the Lloyd Noble Center at 6 p.m. The Sooners own a nine-game winning streak, the program's longest since the 2008-09 Final Four team won 20 straight. The Sooners ascended into the AP Top 25 following the team's best start to a season since 2006-07.

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the Lloyd Noble Center's clear bag policy is in effect. The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports Oklahoma Plus and will air on the Sooner Radio Network on KOKC 1520 AM and KREF 99.3 FM/1400 AM with Brian Brinkley on the call.

THE STARTING FIVE

Wednesday's contest features two of the nation's best offenses as the Sooners' 89.7 PPG rank second in the country and Iowa State's 82.7 are the ninth-most nationally. The Cyclones lead the country with 152 makes from deep while Oklahoma ranks seventh with 10.2 3-pointers per game. The two fast-paced offenses combine for 155 possessions per game and the 172.4 combined average points will be the second-most for any NCAA Division I game this season, trailing Oklahoma vs. Utah (175.1 pts).
The Sooners hit the floor following a 97-91 on the road at Texas Tech on Jan. 2. Madi Williams scored 24 points while Taylor Robertson scored 17 and added seven boards and seven assists. Freshman Kelbie Washington, who tallied 14 assists vs. Wichita State on Dec. 29, notched seven more dimes vs. TTU en route USBWA National Freshman of the Week honors.
The Sooners average 89.1 points per game in 2021-22, good for second-most in the country. Oklahoma's 20.6 assists per game are second nationally and lead to 10.2 made 3-pointers per game, seventh-best in Division I. OU is outscoring its opponents by an average of 15.0 points per game, the 35th-largest margin of victory in the country.The Sooners' offensive effort is balanced with six players averaging 5.0 points per game, including three that average of double digits in Robertson, Williams and Vann. OU attacks in many ways: it ranks third in FT made (219), third in 3-pointers made (133) and 24th in 2-pointers made (274). The Sooners join DePaul, the nation's leader in scoring offense, as the only schools to rank inside the top 25 in all three categories.
OU's 12-1 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 (7-0) since it won a dozen straight at the Lloyd Noble Center to open the 2014-15 season.
For the first time since the first week of the 2017-18 season, the Oklahoma women's basketball team has returned into the AP Top 25, debuting at No. 23 this week following a 12-1 start. The Sooners were ranked 25th in the WBCA Coaches Poll. OU remains squarely in the conversation for a berth in the NCAA Tournament as its ranked 36th in the latest NET Rankings.

SERIES HISTORY

Wednesday night's matchup is the 69th all-time between the Sooners and Cyclones, with Oklahoma maintaining a 41-27 series lead, including a 25-6 mark in Norman. The Sooners are 6-1 in their last seven home meetings vs. Iowa State, with the lone loss coming in 2019. OU was victorious in the most recent meeting, a 67-61 result in Norman last February. Baranczyk is 3-7 all-time vs. Iowa State, with all 10 meetings coming while she was head coach at Drake. The three victories all came in her last seven meetings vs. the Cyclones.

UP NEXT

The Sooners continue their march through Big 12 play Jan. 8 when they travel to Lawrence, Kan., for a matchup with the 9-1 Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be aired on ESPN+.