Sooners Seek Sunflower State Sweep Sunday at Kansas

NORMAN – Trying to win its sixth straight game and remain on top of the Big 12 standings, No. 15 Oklahoma heads to Lawrence, Kan., for a Sunday matchup with Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The game tips at 2 p.m. on ESPN+, with Josh Klingler and Jill Dorsey-Hall calling the action for ESPN, while Brian Brinkley handles play-by-play for the Sooner Radio Network.

THE STARTING FIVE

Following an OU win on Wednesday and a Texas loss on Monday, the Sooners are tied for first place in the Big 12 at 11-3. Both the Horns and Sooners would have four games left in conference play, and Oklahoma hosts Texas at Lloyd Noble Center on Feb. 25. The Sooners are hunting their seventh all-time Big 12 regular season championship, and first since they won the league in 2009. The 14-game mark of Big 12 play is the latest that Oklahoma has been atop the league standings since winning the title in '09.
The Sooners have the country's No. 2 scoring offense, pouring in 86.8 points per game powered by a NCAA-leading 21.5 assists per game. The Sooners have four players that score in double figures, led by Madi Williams' 16.0 points per game. The Sooners have scored at least 88 points 15 times this season and are undefeated when scoring 80 points.
The Sooners reached 21 wins faster than all but two teams in program history, using just 25 games to reach the mark. Only two of Oklahoma's three Final Four teams reached 21 victories faster than the 2023 Sooners, as the 2008-09 and 2001-02 teams, who both won 32 games, reached the 21-win mark in just 23 games. Last year's Sooner team reached the mark in 27 games.
A focal point of the offseason, the Sooners have been one of basketball's best rebounding teams this season and post 45.44 boards per game (6th NCAA, 1st Big 12). Oklahoma forces opponents into lots of missed shots and scoops the rebound. The Sooners' 31.6 defensive rebounds per game rank fourth nationally and 13.9 offensive boards per game rank in the top 50 nationally.
The Sooners check in at No. 15 in this week's AP Top 25 Poll and 12th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They're the highest-ranked Big 12 team in both polls, with Texas and Iowa State also earning spots in both national rankings.

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday's meeting between Oklahoma and Kansas marks the 79th all-time matchup between the two. The series is Oklahoma's second-most played behind Bedlam. The Sooners hold a 45-33 all-time advantage, including a 19-16 lead in Lawrence. The Sooners won the early season matchup vs. KU, 80-74, in Norman on Jan. 14. Under Baranczyk, OU is 3-1 vs. Kansas, but had to erase double-digit deficits in each of the team's three wins.

LAST TIME OUT

Aubrey Joens led all players with 23 points and 11 rebounds as No. 15 Oklahoma claimed a wire-to-wire 84-57 win over Texas Tech in Norman on Wednesday night. Joens' performance secured her fifth career double-double, and second as a Sooner. The win moved Oklahoma (21-4, 11-3 Big 12) into a tie atop the Big 12 standings with No. 17 Texas, who the Sooners host on Feb. 25, with four games remaining in conference play.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma is off in the midweek, but is primed to host No. 17 Texas in a battle at the top of the Big 12 standings on Saturday, Feb. 25. Tip is slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.