Sooners Open Postseason Friday Against TCU

KANSAS CITY – Oklahoma's postseason run opens Friday evening when it tips off at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City. The No. 2-seeded Sooners (24-5, 14-4) will take on No. 10-seeded TCU (8-22, 1-17) in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium at 5 p.m.

Tyler Denning and Andrea Lloyd will call the action on ESPN+, with Brian Brinkley and Kevin Henry handling the action on the Sooner Radio Network.

THE STARTING FIVE

Oklahoma has won the league's postseason championship four times: 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. After sharing the Big 12 regular season championship, the Sooners' seed of No. 2 in Kansas City is the team's highest since 2015. All-time, Oklahoma has been a top-two seed 14 times, and the Sooners are 26-21 all-time in the Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma's 24 wins entering the postseason are its most since the 2008-09 team went 27-3 in the regular season.
One of the most successful regular seasons in program history saw No. 14/12 Oklahoma (24-5, 14-4) win its seventh Big 12 championship after the Sooners shared the regular season title with Texas. The Sooners posted sweeps over TCU, K-State, Texas Tech, Kansas, West Virginia and Oklahoma State in the regular season, setting a program record with six season sweeps. In addition, the team's 14 wins in conference play were the most since a 15-1 record in 2009 en route to a Final Four berth.
Oklahoma led the league in terms of its postseason awards haul. A Big-12 best five different Sooners earned league honors as voted on by the Big 12's coaches. Madi Williams repeated as a unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selection and was joined by second-teamers Taylor Robertson and Ana Llanusa. At the same time, Skylar Vann was an All-Big 12 honorable mention. Vann repeated as the Big 12's Sixth Player Award winner, becoming the first player ever to accomplish the feat. Freshman center Beatrice Culliton earned a spot on the conference's All-Freshman Team, marking the seventh straight season the Sooners have landed a player on the All-Freshman squad.
The Sooners rank in the top three nationally and lead the Big 12 in both points per game (85.2, 2nd NCAA) and assists per game (20.9, 3rd NCAA). The Sooners have four players that score in double figures, led by Madi Williams' 15.7 points per game. The Sooners have scored at least 88 points 15 times this season and are 21-0 when eclipsing 80 points. The team's 79.3 possessions per 40 minutes are the third most in the country.
A win would send Oklahoma to its second consecutive Big 12 semifinal and 14th in program history. The potential 14 semifinal appearances would be second most in the league behind Baylor, who has 17 entering 2023, and potentially tied with Texas, who enters the 2023 championship with 13.

SERIES HISTORY

Friday night's meeting will mark the 39th meeting between the two sides. It's OU's most lopsided conference series, with the Sooners holding a 27-11 (.710) advantage. Oklahoma is 4-0 vs. TCU in the Baranczyk era, winning by an average margin of 27.8 points per game.

LAST TIME OUT

For the first time since 2009, the Oklahoma women's basketball team are champions of the Big 12 Conference. The No. 16 Sooners defeated Oklahoma State, 80-71, in Stillwater on Saturday to clinch a share of their seventh Big 12 regular season title. Oklahoma (24-5, 14-4) outscored the Cowgirls by 15 points in the second half to hoist the trophy. The Sooners, led by second-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, locked up the No. 2 seed at next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship after sharing the title with Texas.

UP NEXT

With a win, Oklahoma advances to Saturday's Big 12 semifinal vs. either No. 3-seeded Iowa State or No. 6-seeded Baylor. The Sooners split with both teams in the regular season. Tip would be 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. A loss would send the Sooners home, where they await their NCAA Tournament fate. The NCAA Women's Selection Show starts at 7 p.m. on March 12 on ESPN.