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University of Oklahoma Athletics
No. 10 Sooners Earn Highest AP Preseason Rank Since 2010
October 15, 2024 | Women's Basketball
NORMAN — For the first time since 2010, the Oklahoma women's basketball team has earned a spot in the top 10 of the Associated Press preseason poll. A national panel of media ranked the Sooners No. 10 heading into the 2024-25 season, the AP announced Tuesday.
The selection marks Oklahoma's first appearance in the top 10 of any AP poll since Nov. 18, 2013, when the team was also ranked 10th.
Picked fourth in the SEC preseason media poll, the Sooners return one of the most experienced rosters in the country, bringing back 98% of the scoring from last year's Big 12 championship squad. Led by reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Skylar Vann, the team seeks its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Sooners return all five starters and have bolstered their lineup by adding All-American center Raegan Beers, the top transfer in the nation. Head coach Jennie Baranczyk, the 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year, enters her fourth season at Oklahoma with a 74-26 record.
Under Baranczyk, the Sooners have consistently climbed into the AP Top 25, finishing each of the last three seasons ranked, including a No. 16 final ranking in 2023. Last season, the team closed out the year ranked 21st despite starting unranked.
This latest top-10 appearance is the 80th overall for the program, and the ninth season in which the Sooners have been ranked in the top 10. Oklahoma's current streak of nine consecutive weeks in the AP poll is tied for the ninth longest in school history.
OU is one of four SEC teams in the preseason top 10, and one of seven teams in the top 25 from the league. The Sooners are scheduled to play eight games against teams in the preseason poll: vs. No. 11 Duke or No. 13 Kansas State (Nov. 27), at No. 17 Louisville (Dec. 4). Vs. No. 4 Texas (Jan. 2), at No. 1 South Carolina (Jan. 19), at No. 7 LSU (Jan. 30), vs. No. 22 Kentucky (Feb. 2), at No. 20 Ole Miss (Feb. 6) and vs. No. 24 Alabama (March 2).
The Sooners tip off their season on Oct. 29 with a free exhibition game against Oklahoma Christian at Lloyd Noble Center, starting at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+. Their regular season opener is on Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. against Southern in Norman.
On Wednesday, Vann, Verhulst, and Baranczyk will represent Oklahoma at SEC Tipoff '25 in Birmingham, Ala. Fans can catch the event live on SEC Network.
Season tickets for the 2024-25 campaign are now available, starting at $75 for seniors and youth, and $99 for the general public. Flex- and mini-plans are also available online.
2. UConn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. UCLA
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Iowa State
9. NC State
10. Oklahoma
11. Duke
12. Baylor
13. Kansas State
14. Ohio State
15. North Carolina
16. West Virginia
17. Louisville
18. Maryland
19. Florida State
20. Ole Miss
21. Creighton
22. Kentucky
23. Nebraska
24. Alabama
25. Indiana
RV: Iowa 37, TCU 30, Utah 24, Illinois 23, Stanford 17, Michigan St. 16, Gonzaga 16, Vanderbilt 12, South Dakota St. 7, Miami 4, Tennessee 3, Fairfield 3, Middle Tennessee 3, Georgia Tech 2, Syracuse 1, Princeton 1.
FOLLOW OKLAHOMA BASKETBALL
For updates, follow @OU_WBBall on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Women's Basketball on Facebook.
The selection marks Oklahoma's first appearance in the top 10 of any AP poll since Nov. 18, 2013, when the team was also ranked 10th.
Picked fourth in the SEC preseason media poll, the Sooners return one of the most experienced rosters in the country, bringing back 98% of the scoring from last year's Big 12 championship squad. Led by reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Skylar Vann, the team seeks its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Sooners return all five starters and have bolstered their lineup by adding All-American center Raegan Beers, the top transfer in the nation. Head coach Jennie Baranczyk, the 2024 Big 12 Coach of the Year, enters her fourth season at Oklahoma with a 74-26 record.
Under Baranczyk, the Sooners have consistently climbed into the AP Top 25, finishing each of the last three seasons ranked, including a No. 16 final ranking in 2023. Last season, the team closed out the year ranked 21st despite starting unranked.
This latest top-10 appearance is the 80th overall for the program, and the ninth season in which the Sooners have been ranked in the top 10. Oklahoma's current streak of nine consecutive weeks in the AP poll is tied for the ninth longest in school history.
OU is one of four SEC teams in the preseason top 10, and one of seven teams in the top 25 from the league. The Sooners are scheduled to play eight games against teams in the preseason poll: vs. No. 11 Duke or No. 13 Kansas State (Nov. 27), at No. 17 Louisville (Dec. 4). Vs. No. 4 Texas (Jan. 2), at No. 1 South Carolina (Jan. 19), at No. 7 LSU (Jan. 30), vs. No. 22 Kentucky (Feb. 2), at No. 20 Ole Miss (Feb. 6) and vs. No. 24 Alabama (March 2).
The Sooners tip off their season on Oct. 29 with a free exhibition game against Oklahoma Christian at Lloyd Noble Center, starting at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+. Their regular season opener is on Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. against Southern in Norman.
On Wednesday, Vann, Verhulst, and Baranczyk will represent Oklahoma at SEC Tipoff '25 in Birmingham, Ala. Fans can catch the event live on SEC Network.
Season tickets for the 2024-25 campaign are now available, starting at $75 for seniors and youth, and $99 for the general public. Flex- and mini-plans are also available online.
FULL TOP 25
1. South Carolina2. UConn
3. USC
4. Texas
5. UCLA
6. Notre Dame
7. LSU
8. Iowa State
9. NC State
10. Oklahoma
11. Duke
12. Baylor
13. Kansas State
14. Ohio State
15. North Carolina
16. West Virginia
17. Louisville
18. Maryland
19. Florida State
20. Ole Miss
21. Creighton
22. Kentucky
23. Nebraska
24. Alabama
25. Indiana
RV: Iowa 37, TCU 30, Utah 24, Illinois 23, Stanford 17, Michigan St. 16, Gonzaga 16, Vanderbilt 12, South Dakota St. 7, Miami 4, Tennessee 3, Fairfield 3, Middle Tennessee 3, Georgia Tech 2, Syracuse 1, Princeton 1.
FOLLOW OKLAHOMA BASKETBALL
For updates, follow @OU_WBBall on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Women's Basketball on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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