Women's Hoops Opens NCAA Tournament vs. IUPUI

⁴ Oklahoma

¹³ IUPUI

Saturday, March 19, 2022 / 9 p.m. CT / Norman / Lloyd Noble Center

Tickets / TV / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes / Program

NORMAN – For the first time since 2018, the Oklahoma women's basketball team is going dancing. Oklahoma (24-8, 12-6) is the No. 4 seed in the Bridgeport Region and earned hosting duties for the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. The Sooners square off on Saturday with No. 13-seed IUPUI (24-6, 18-4), who punched its NCAA ticket by winning the Horizon League championship.

The game is slated for a 9 p.m. tip on ESPNU with Roy Philpott and Brooke Weisbrod on the call. Prior to the Sooners' game, (5) Notre Dame and (12) UMass will play at Lloyd Noble Center, tipping at 6:30 p.m on ESPN2. All session tickets are on sale now.

Doors to the arena open one hour before tip and the Lloyd Noble Center's clear-bag policy is in effect.

THE STARTING FIVE

One of the most dominant women's basketball programs since 2000, Oklahoma is set to appear in its 22nd all-time NCAA Tournament and 20th since the turn of the century. The Sooners are 33-21 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and have won at least one game in 17 of the program's 21 previous appearances. Oklahoma has been to 10 Sweet 16s, three Elite Eights and three Final Fours, finishing as the national runner-up in 2002. It's Oklahoma's first appearance in the tournament since 2018, and this weekend's games mark the first time OU has received hosting privileges since 2012. The Sooners are 8-2 when hosting NCAA Tournament games in Norman.
Oklahoma's high-powered offensive attack is one of the best in the country and fighting to be the best in program history. OU's 83.3 points per game rank fourth nationally as 19.1 assists (4th in NCAA) per game power the attack. Madi Williams (18.2 PPG) and Taylor Robertson (17.0 PPG) were unanimous selections to the All-Big 12 First Team. In addition, head coach Jennie Baranczyk was named a semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year award earlier in March.
Under head coach Jennie Baranczyk, OU has notched four top-25 wins this season, the most ever for a first-year Sooner head coach. Two of those wins have come vs. the No. 9-ranked team in the country as OU upset then-No. 9 Texas 65-63 on Jan. 29 and then-No. 9 Baylor 78-77 a few days later on Feb. 2. The Sooners also notched wins over then-No. 16 BYU and then-No. 14 Baylor.
A pair of Sooners in Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson were unanimous selections to the All-Big 12 First Team as voted on by the league's coaches. Oklahoma was the only team in the league to land two unanimous selections on the league's first team as the two became the first Sooner pair to both land on the first team since Aaryn Ellenberg and Whitney Hand in 2012. Skylar Vann was named the Big 12's 6th Player of the Year after averaging double-digit points and over five rebounds per game off the bench. Freshman point guard Kelbie Washington earned a spot on the All-Freshman team. Robertson was named an honorable mention AP All-America selection in addition to conference awards.
The improvement for Oklahoma women's basketball from 12-12 last season to 24-8 in Baranczyk's first year marks the first time in program history for a first-year coach to improve by 10 wins in their first season. The 12-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.

LAST TIME OUT

Powered The Sooners advanced to their first Big 12 semifinal since 2016 last weekend in Kansas City where they fell to top-seeded Baylor. NaLyssa Smith had a career-high 37 points as No. 4 Baylor routed No. 21 Oklahoma 91-76 in Saturday's semifinal. The Bears used a 28-16 advantage in the third quarter to blow open a close game. Smith accounted for 14 points in the quarter, giving her 33 for the game. Madi Williams scored 33 points for the Sooners, the second-highest total of her career to cement her name on the Big 12 All-Tournament team. Oklahoma defeated No. 5-seeded Kansas 80-68 in the Big 12 quarterfinal.

KNOW YOUR FOE

Oklahoma opens the 2022 NCAA Tournament by hosting IUPUI for the first time in program history. The Jaguars earned their spot in the bracket by winning the Horizon League championship, defeating Cleveland State 61-54 in the conference final to punch the program's first ticket to the NCAA Tournament. IUPUI was picked to win the Horizon League in the preseason. Led by four-time Horizon League POTY Macee Williams, the Jags are strong on both sides of the ball. Williams, a 6-2 forward, averages 18.7 points and 10.6 rebounds to lead Austin Parkinson's squad. Rachel McLimore (12.8 PPG) and Rachel Kent (10.6 PPG) also score in double figures. The Jags boast the nation's fifth-best 3-point defense (24.8%) and rank 12th in 3-point offense, hitting 36.7% of their attempts. They rank 24th nationally in scoring defense (55.7 PPG) and led the Horizon League by scoring 70.4 points per game.

Despite never meeting IUPUI before, the Sooners are 3-0 against teas from the Horizon League.

UP NEXT

A win on Saturday would send OU into the NCAA Second Round vs. the winner of the (5) Notre Dame vs. (12) UMass contest (6:30 p.m./Sat/LNC). A tip time for Monday will be announced following the conclusion of the first-round games.