Women's Hoops To Open Big 12 Slate Saturday at WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – No. 20/18 Oklahoma (10-1) is set to open Big 12 Conference play Saturday at West Virginia (9-2) after closing the non-conference slate on a seven-game winning streak. The game will air on ESPN 2 with Eric Little and Warren Baker on the call. On the Sooner Radio Network, Chad McKee will call the action. The Sooners are outscoring opponents by an average of 22.5 points across their winning streak.

Last year, in head coach Jennie Baranczyk's first season, the Sooners went 12-6 in Big 12 play, Oklahoma's most conference wins since the 2016-17 team went 13-5. Oklahoma swept Baylor in the regular season and notched a win over then-top-10 Texas, too. The Sooners swept the Mountaineers, including a thrilling double-overtime win in Norman.

THE STARTING FIVE

The Sooners are ranked in both the AP Poll (#20) and the WBCA Coaches Poll (#18), as well as garnering a No. 5 seed in the latest NCAA bracketology. Oklahoma returns over 90% of its scoring, rebounding and assists from last season's 25-win NCAA Tournament team.
The Sooners will wear their anthracite Jordan Brand uniforms on Saturday afternoon. Oklahoma is undefeated (5-0) when wearing anthracite under Baranczyk. Furthermore, after losing the first five meetings between the two teams in Morgantown, the Sooners have now won five in a row, the last four of which came while wearing the anthracite uniforms.
For the second consecutive year under Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma is off to a 10-1 after last year's team started 12-1. The Sooners are 31-3 under Baranczyk in games vs. unranked opponents, with two of those losses coming to teams that made the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The dynamic duo of Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson has been dominant over the last five seasons. When both are firing on all cylinders, the Sooners are one of the nation's best teams. Since the arrival of Baranczyk prior to the 2021-22 season, Oklahoma is 19-2 when Williams and Robertson each score 15 points. Over their careers, the pair have scored 15+ in the same game 48 times, garnering a record of 34-14.
Oklahoma was picked to finish third in the Big 12 this season in the league's preseason poll and received one first-place vote. Picked to finish behind Iowa State and Texas, the Sooners third-place pick was the team's highest preseason placement since 2016-17.

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday's matchup marks the 24th meeting between Oklahoma and West Virginia, with the Sooners holding a 14-9 advantage after winning eight of the last 10 contests. The Sooners have won five straight in Morgantown and there are zero players on OU's roster that have lost to the Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum.

LAST TIME OUT

Taylor Robertson and Madi Williams combined for 40 points as No. 23/18 Oklahoma dominated Florida in a wire-to-wire 95-79 victory at the inaugural Jumpman Invitational on Wednesday night in Charlotte. Robertson buried six 3-pointers to break the NCAA record for career games with five made treys at 40 for her career. Williams took over in the second half, scoring 16 of her team-high 22 points to push the Sooners (10-1, 0-0) to their seventh straight victory. Williams also added 11 rebounds to secure a double-double in the win.

UP NEXT

The Sooners return to Norman for a showdown vs. Baylor at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3. The game will air on ESPN+ and fans can purchase tickets for $5 through the OU Ticket Office.