WBB Game Preview: Sooners Host Oklahoma Christian in Exhibition

NORMAN — Oklahoma women's basketball fans can get their first glimpse of the sixth-ranked Sooners on Wednesday night when OU hosts Oklahoma Christian in an exhibition at Lloyd Noble Center.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and admission is free. After the game, fans can pick up autographed team posters and meet the Sooners. With Halloween approaching, fans are encouraged to wear their costumes and join the trick-or-treating on the concourse at halftime.

Fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance, head coach Jennie Baranczyk's team enters the 2025–26 season ranked No. 6 nationally, its highest preseason mark since 2009–10. The Sooners were picked fourth in the SEC by the league's 16 coaches and return the conference's second-highest scoring percentage at 62.3%.

OU's experienced core features Raegan Beers, a first-team All-SEC preseason pick who averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds last season, and Payton Verhulst, a second-team selection recently named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year watch list. Baranczyk also adds one of the nation's top recruiting classes, ranked No. 8 by 247Sports and led by Aaliyah Chavez, the nation's top-ranked freshman.

FAN INFORMATION AND HOW TO FOLLOW

Wednesday's exhibition will not be televised or streamed on SEC Network+, but fans can tune in to Brian Brinkley and Carolyn Baker on the Sooner Radio Network (1520 AM – OKC) or follow the game's live stats.

Admission is free, and fans in attendance can pick up the official OU Women's Basketball poster and get it autographed after the game.

With Halloween around the corner, fans are encouraged to dress up and join the trick-or-treat fun on the concourse at halftime. Please note that masks fully covering faces and costume props are not permitted inside Lloyd Noble Center.

Doors open at 5 p.m. CT.

Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma Christian
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 29
Tip Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center

LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

NOTABLES

• Under Baranczyk, Oklahoma is 4-0 in exhibition play, winning by an average of 61.3 points, including a 114-47 victory over Oklahoma Christian last year. The Sooners open the regular season Monday, Nov. 3, at 4:30 p.m. vs. Belmont in Norman. The Bruins have won 26 games in consecutive seasons and finished as the WBIT runner-up last year.

• Last season was a historic one for the Sooners, who returned to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013. OU finished 27-8, marking its fourth straight 20-win campaign under Jennie Baranczyk, who has reached that milestone in 10 of her last 11 seasons and every season in Norman.

• The Sooners' 27 victories were their most since 2010, and they went 11-5 in their debut SEC season — tying for fourth and advancing to the conference semifinals. OU ended the year ranked No. 11 in the AP poll and set multiple program records, including points per game (84.7), rebounds per game (47.7), assists per game (21.7) and field goals made (1,091).

• Wednesday marks the second consecutive season that Oklahoma and Oklahoma Christian have met in an exhibition game. Last year, the Sooners won 114-47 with six players scoring in double figures. OU hall of fame head coach Sherri Coale played at Oklahoma Christian from 1983-87.

• Oklahoma signed the nation's No. 8 recruiting class, featuring three top-70 prospects in 247Sports' final rankings — No. 1 Aaliyah Chavez, No. 34 Keziah Lofton and No. 61 Brooklyn Stewart. The freshman class is rounded out by international additions Emma Tolan (Ireland) and Daffa Cissoko (Draveil, France), OU's first international players since 2019-20.

• The Southeastern Conference is once again proving why it's the premier league in women's basketball. Half of the preseason AP top 10 features SEC teams, including the sixth-ranked Sooners. In total, the league places eight teams in the preseason poll. Five of the 12 players named to the preseason AP All America list come from the SEC, including Beers, who earned an honorable mention. All five members of the All SEC Media First Team (Beers, Flau'jae Johnson, Joyce Edwards, Madison Booker and Mikayla Blakes) helped Team USA capture gold at the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup, where OU head coach Jennie Baranczyk served as an assistant coach.

UP NEXT

• Oklahoma opens the regular season on Monday, Nov. 3, when it hosts Belmont — last season's WBIT runner-up — at 4:30 p.m. CT inside Lloyd Noble Center. Fans with a ticket to the women's game are invited to stay for the men's basketball home opener against Saint Francis at 7:30 p.m. CT.

• The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive an exclusive 2025 Sweet 16 banner to celebrate last year's postseason run.

• Fans can also enjoy $2 beer, soda and popcorn during both games.