Road Test Awaits Sooners in Austin

NORMAN – No. 14 Oklahoma (16-2, 6-1) will put its five-game winning streak on the line Wednesday night when it heads to Austin, Texas, for a matchup with Texas (14-6, 5-2) at the new Moody Center. Tip between the Big 12's top two teams in the standings is set for 7 p.m. on the Longhorn Network with Alex Loeb and Brenda VanLengen on the call. Chris Plank will call the action on the Sooner Radio Network.

Sharpshooting guard Taylor Robertson enters Saturday's game just three (3) 3-pointers shy of breaking the all-time NCAA 3-point record of 497, held currently by Kelsey Mitchell. Robertson's 495 career treys are the most of any men's or women's Big 12 basketball player ever. She is the NCAA active career leader in 3-pointers, 3-point field goal percentage and ranks in the top five in free throw percentage and points.

THE STARTING FIVE

Oklahoma has the nation's third best offense, scoring 87.3 points per game powered by a 21.0 assists (2nd NCAA) per game. The Sooners' 1.31 assist/turnover ratio ranks 11th nationally as the Crimson and Cream's 9.0 3-pointers per game are also 11th most in the country. The Sooners have scored at least 90 points in five of their last 10 contests, three of which came vs. Big 12 teams. Oklahoma hasn't been held below 70 points since Dec. 4 vs. Ole Miss when it scored 69 points in a 10-point win.
One of the nation's hottest teams, the Sooners have won 13 of their last 14 games, including the previous five contests. Oklahoma has knocked off four teams that were ranked or receiving votes in national polls since Dec. 21, as the team jumped back into ESPN's Power Rankings at No. 12 this week and is the Big 12's highest-ranked team, coming in at No. 14 in the latest AP Poll.
A win would move Oklahoma to 17-2 on the season, the team's best start since the 2008-09 team opened the year 26-2 with a 20-game winning streak. It would also mark the program's 100th all-time win in the Lone Star State, improving to 100-89 in program history. Baranczyk would move to 7-1 in the state of Texas, and avenge her only loss as the OU head coach south of the Red River.
Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson have 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 start of the 2021-22 season, Oklahoma is 21-2 when Williams and Robertson each score 15 points. Over their careers, the pair have scored 15+ in the same game 50 times, garnering a record of 36-14.
OU's starting five has amassed 452 starts for the Crimson and Cream, highlighted by Taylor Robertson's 135 and Madi Williams' 126. Robertson and Williams are on track to finish first and fourth, respectively, on Oklahoma's all-time starts list. Robertson needs just six more starts to break Danielle Robinson's record of 140.

SERIES HISTORY

Oklahoma and Texas have met 64 times, with the Longhorns holding a 37-27 all-time advantage. The Horns have dominated the series in Austin, winning 20 of the 29 games, including eight of the last nine contests in Austin. The Sooners split with Texas last season, with each team protecting home court. Oklahoma won 65-63 in Norman, but fell 78-63 in Austin.

KNOW YOUR FOE

The top Big 12 team in the latest net rankings at No. 12, Texas (14-6, 5-2) sits one game back of the Sooners in the Big 12 title race. In three of their last four games, the Longhorns knocked off then-No. 23 Kansas, then-No. 15 Iowa State and then Baylor in Waco. Ranked third in the league in both scoring offense and defense, the Horns are strong on both ends and lead the conference in FG% (.462), offensive RPG (15.4), scoring margin (19.4) and turnovers forced (21.9).

LAST TIME OUT

It took a dash of Sooner Magic, but when the clock hit zero at Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday, No. 15 Oklahoma had overcome a 12-point deficit to hold off Oklahoma State, 97-93, and claim the first round of Bedlam. The win kept Oklahoma (16-2, 6-1) alone atop the Big 12 standings as the league approaches the halfway point of conference play. Madi Williams posted 26 points, 17 of which came in the second half, as the redshirt senior dominated on both ends of the floor.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma heads to Ames, Iowa, for a top-20 showdown on Saturday vs. the No. 18 Cyclones. Tip is set for 3 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum, and the game will air on ESPN+. The Sooners upset Iowa State 82-79 in Norman on Jan. 8, in a game that featured 25 lead changes.