Women's Basketball Set For Red River Rivalry

NORMAN – The first of two scheduled matchups between last season's Big 12 regular season co-champions will tip off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday when Oklahoma (11-6, 5-1 Big 12) takes on No. 10 Texas (18-2, 5-2 Big 12) in Austin, Texas.

The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU and marks the Sooners' fifth nationally televised game of the season.

THE STARTING FIVE

A victory on Wednesday night would give Oklahoma it's 900th all-time win, becoming the 45th Division I program to eclipse the mark. The 2023-24 campaign marks OU's 50th season and the Sooners have won 20 games 17 times since the turn of the century, winning 11 conference titles since 2000 and advancing to three Final Fours.
In Big 12 play, the Sooners have been strong on both sides of the ball, positioning themselves among the top teams in the league. Alongside Texas and West Virginia, Oklahoma is one of three teams that rank in the league's top five in both scoring offense and defense in conference games. Against league foes, the OU offense averages 70.3 PPG (5th Big 12), while its defense allows only 62.2 points (4th Big 12). Notably, Oklahoma limits Big 12 opponents to 36.8% shooting (2nd Big 12) and leads the conference in rebounding at 42.3 RPG through five games.
The Sooners checked in at No. 52 in the latest NET ranking. Texas enters Wednesday night as the No. 2 team in the NET.
Powering OU's offensive attack is 19.9 assists per game (6th NCAA) that is highlighted by five different Sooners averaging 2.0 assists this season with one more posting 1.9 APG. The Sooners assist on 70% of their makes this year (4th NCAA). OU has posted 15+ assists in 69 of its 84 games under Baranczyk and is 57-12 in such contests.
The win would notch the eighth top-25 win of the Baranczyk era and third vs. a top-10 team. It would be the first top-10 win since a win at No. 9 Baylor (2/2/22), which came just days after OU defeated then-No. 9 Texas in Norman on a last-second shot from Liz Scott.

SERIES HISTORY

Wednesday's meeting marks the 67th all-time between Oklahoma and Texas in the storied Red River Rivalry. The Horns lead the series 39-27, with each team holding a winning record at home.

The Sooners trail 21-9 in Austin with their most recent win coming in a thrilling overtime win in 2021 when OU played with six players. Oklahoma will host Texas in Norman on Feb. 28 in OU's last home game of the Big 12 era.

LAST TIME OUT

Skylar Vann scored 21 points while Payton Verhulst added 18 as the pair guided Oklahoma to a gritty 71-65 road win over Houston on Saturday night. The win improved Oklahoma (11-6, 5-1) to 5-1 in conference play for the third consecutive season under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. The Sooners shot a conference-high 52% from the field and held Houston (11-7, 2-5 Big 12) to just 37% in the win.

UP NEXT

The Sooners return to Norman on Saturday for a matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks at 6 p.m. at Lloyd Noble Center. The game is OU's annual white out game and fans can purchase white OU women's basketball gear now at the Sooner Shop.

The game will air on ESPN+ and is the first of at least two meetings between the Sooners and Jayhawks. Fans can purchase tickets for $10 or for $5 if they've purchased a ticket to the OU men's basketball game vs. Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon.