Oklahoma Battles UCLA Monday For Sweet 16 Spot

LOS ANGELES – A spot in the Sweet 16 is up for grabs on Monday night when No. 5 seed Oklahoma (26-6, 14-4 Big 12) takes on host No. 4 seed UCLA (26-9, 11-7 PAC-12) at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles in the second round of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.

The game tips on ESPN 2 at 9 p.m. CT with Ann Schatz and Megan McKeown on the call, while Brian Brinkley will handle the action on the Sooner Radio Network.

The winner advances to face No. 1 overall seed South Carolina (34-0, 16-0 SEC) in Greenville, S.C., next weekend.

THE FAST BREAK

The No. 16/14 Sooners seek their first Sweet 16 berth since 2013 and 11th in program history. Second-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk's team enters March Madness ranked 16th and 14th, respectively, in the AP and Coaches Poll, both good for the team's highest ranking entering postseason play since they were 12th in 2010.

Oklahoma's No. 5 seed marks the second consecutive top-five seed under Baranczyk, as the Sooners were a No. 4 seed last year. It's the third time (2015 and 2000) that OU was placed on the No. 5 seed line, with the Sooners going 4-2 all-time as the fifth seed.

The Sooners rank in the top two nationally and lead the Big 12 in both points per game (84.5, 2nd NCAA) and assists per game (21.0, 2nd NCAA). The Sooners have four players that score in double figures, led by Madi Williams' 15.5 points per game. The Sooners have scored at least 88 points 15 times this season and are 21-0 when eclipsing 80 points. Additionally, the team's 79.0 possessions per 40 minutes are the third most in the country.

Monday's contest is a battle between experience and youth. Oklahoma's starting lineup has combined for 522 career starts, including 16 in the NCAA Tournament, while the Bruins' rotation is heavily reliant on their top-ranked five-player freshman class.

SERIES HISTORY

The Sooners and Bruins have met six times and share a 3-3 tie. Oklahoma has won the only neutral site meeting, defeating UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013. The Bruins hold a 2-1 lead in Los Angeles, including the most-recent meeting meeting, an 82-76 UCLA win in November 2013.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma is best known for having the nation's second-highest-scoring offense. The Sooner's physicality on defense and ability to control the paint, though, allowed them to advance over Portland in the NCAA Tournament. Fifth-seeded Oklahoma (26-6, 14-4 Big 12) outrebounded Portland by 16 and held the No. 12 seed Pilots to 37.7% percent shooting from the field in an 85-63 victory Saturday night in a first-round game.

UP NEXT

With a win, Oklahoma advances to next weekend's Sweet 16 vs. the No. 1 overall seed South Carolina. The game, played at a to-be-determined time, will be played in Greenville, S.C.