Women's Hoops Hosts Oral Roberts Monday to Open Season

NORMAN – The 49th season of Oklahoma women's basketball is set to open Monday afternoon when the Sooners host Oral Roberts at Lloyd Noble Center at 4 p.m.. It also marks the beginning of the second season of the Jennie Baranczyk era.

To launch Oklahoma's "Welcome Back to Basketball" day, the Big Red Rally begins at 3 p.m. Fans in attendance at both the women's game (4 p.m.) and the men's game (7 p.m.) will have the opportunity to win their share of over $80k in prizes, including a new car courtesy of Fowler Cars.

The game will be broadcast live on SoonerVision on ESPN+ with Chad McKee and Bryndon Manzer calling the action, with radio coverage live on 1520 AM in Oklahoma City and 99.3 FM in Norman with Brian Brinkley on the call. Fans can sign up for ESPN+ and receive access to over 100 OU athletics events, including the bulk of Oklahoma's home schedule.

THE STARTING FIVE

The No. 15/16-ranked Sooners are 37-11 all-time in home openers and 32-16 historically in season openers. Oklahoma is 2-0 all-time vs. Oral Roberts in home openers, defeating the Golden Eagles in 1988 and 2000.
For the first time since 2017, Oklahoma appeared in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, debuting the season at No. 15. The Sooners were also ranked No. 16 in the USA TODAY WBCA Coaches Poll. The Sooners' ranking of 15th is the team's highest in the preseason poll since the 2013-14 squad opened the year ranked 11th. As one of the most dominant programs of the 21st century, Oklahoma has now been ranked in the top 15 of the preseason AP poll 10 times since 2000.
Second-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk will lead a roster that has combined to play over 700 career games, highlighted by Robertson (118), Williams (114) and Llanusa (83). The Sooners return all five starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team and six players from their bench, highlighted by Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year Skylar Vann. A freshman class of four and the addition of Iowa State transfer Aubrey Joens complete Oklahoma's 16-player roster.
Oklahoma went 25-9 in year one of the Jennie Baranczyk era, making the program's first NCAA Tournament since 2017. The Sooners hosted the first two rounds of March Madness for the first time in a decade, falling to Notre Dame in the NCAA Second Round. The improvement for Oklahoma women's basketball from 12-12 in 2020-21 to 25-9 in Baranczyk's first year marked the first time in program history for a first-year coach to improve by 10+ wins in their first season. The 13-win jump is the second-largest overall in program history, trailing only Cathie Schweitzer, who increased the team's win total by 16 between the 1977 and 1978 seasons.
One of the best players to ever play at Oklahoma, Taylor Robertson enters Monday's game just 28 points shy of 2,000 points. If she crosses the 2K threshold, she'd be the seventh Sooner all-time to do so.

SERIES HISTORY

Monday's matchup marks the 37th all-time meeting between Oklahoma and Oral Roberts, but the first since 2016 and just the second since 2005. Oklahoma holds a 21-15 advantage in the series, including a 10-6 record at Lloyd Noble Center but ORU won the most recent meeting, knocking off the Sooners 74-67 in Norman in Dec. 2016.

KNOW YOUR FOE

Led by first year head coach Kelsi Musick, who arrived at ORU after 13 seasons at Southwestern Oklahoma State, where she led the team to the NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2019. The Golden Eagles knocked off Rogers State in an exhibition game 96-74. ORU made 12 3-pointers on 26 attempts, but were led by post player Tirzah Moore, who finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

UP NEXT

The Sooners continue their non-conference schedule Friday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. when SMU, who earned votes in the preseason coaches poll, comes to Norman. The game will air on ESPN+.

University of Oklahoma Athletics