WBB Game Preview: Oklahoma Hosts No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday

Thursday, January 8

Norman, Okla.

6 PM

University of Oklahoma

Ole Miss

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - December 13, 2025 - Oklahoma Guard Aaliyah Chavez (#2) during the game between the Oklahoma St. Cowboys and the Oklahoma Sooners at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, OK. Photo By Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

WBB Game Preview: Oklahoma Hosts No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday

January 07, 2026 | Women's Basketball

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By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN — No. 5 Oklahoma (14-1, 2-0 SEC) is set for its first of four consecutive top-20 contests in league play as it welcomes No. 18 Ole Miss (14-3, 1-1 SEC) to the Lloyd Noble Center on Thursday night.

Tip is set for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+ with Chad McKee and Bryndon Manzer calling the action. Fans can tune in on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (107.7 FM) with Brian Brinkley and Carolyn Baker or listen in Spanish with Luis Rendon on Los Sooners Radio (1560 AM). Both radio broadcasts will also stream on the Varsity App.

Oklahoma has won 13 straight games, the second-longest streak in program history, and its 14-1 start is tied for the second best in program history. As a result, the Sooners rose to No. 5 in this week's AP Top 25 poll, appearing in the top five for the first time since the final poll of the 2008-09 season.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online. Fans also have the opportunity to sit in the student section for $15, as University of Oklahoma students are on break.

FAN INFORMATION AND HOW TO FOLLOW

Doors open at 5 p.m. CT at Lloyd Noble Center, with tip scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will air on SEC Network+ and on the Sooner Sports Radio Network.

Fans can follow live stats throughout the game, and tickets remain available.

Thursday is OU's Bring Your Own Bucket Night, where fans can bring their own bucket (2 gallons or less) and fill it with popcorn for just $5 at all concession stands while supplies last.

(5) Oklahoma vs. (18) Ole Miss
Date: Thursday, Jan. 8
Tip Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Norman, Okla.
Arena: Lloyd Noble Center

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GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma (14-1, 2-0 SEC) won its 13th straight game on Sunday, defeating Mississippi State 95-47 at Lloyd Noble Center to move to 2-0 in league play. The 13-game winning streak is the second longest in program history, trailing only a 20-game run in 2008-09. OU, which entered the day ranked second nationally in opponent field goal percentage, held the Bulldogs to 20.0% shooting (14 of 70), setting a program record for lowest opponent FG% in a conference game. The Sooners also limited Mississippi State to 4.0% from 3-point range (1 of 25), the third-lowest opponent 3-point percentage in a conference game in program history.

After holding Texas A&M to 50 points in last Thursday's SEC opener, the Sooner defense was even more dominant against a Mississippi State offense that ranked inside the nation's top 25 in scoring entering the day. OU's 47 points allowed were its fewest in a conference game since limiting Texas Tech to 45 in 2017. The Sooners have won 74 straight games dating back to 2015 when holding opponents under 60 points. The Sooners shot 49.6% and scored 95 points, eclipsing 90 for the 10th time this season. Mississippi State had allowed a conference opponent to reach 95 points only twice since 2009 and had not surrendered 70 points in a game this season. The 48-point loss was the Bulldogs' worst in an SEC game since 2013.

THE STARTING FIVE NOTES

• The Sooners enter Thursday night on a 13-game winning streak, the second longest in program history behind only the 2008-09 Final Four team's 20-game run. During the stretch, OU has scored 100 points a program-record six times, averaging 98.1 points per game while outscoring opponents by 40.1 points per contest. Oklahoma is shooting nearly 20% better than its opponents with five Power Five wins and two over ranked teams. OU's 14-1 start is tied for the second best in program history (tied with 1986-87 and 2001-02), trailing only the 2006-07 team's 17-1 start.

• Oklahoma climbed to No. 5 in this week's AP Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll, marking the program's first top-five ranking since the final polls of the 2009 season. The Sooners have now appeared in 38 consecutive AP Top 25 polls, the seventh-longest active streak nationally and fourth-longest in program history, while their 30 straight weeks inside the AP top 20 are tied with North Carolina for the sixth-longest run in the country.

• The Oklahoma defense has proven among the nation's best, leading the country in opponent field goal percentage at 29.8%. The Sooners hold teams 13.0% below their season shooting average and 14.1 points under their scoring norm, ranking fourth nationally in defensive rating (72.9). OU allows just 18.5 paint points per game, has not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 42% this season, has won 38 straight games when holding teams under 70 points and leads the nation with 53.13 rebounds per game.

• Oklahoma owns one of the nation's elite offenses, ranking second nationally in scoring (94.5 PPG) and fourth in assists (21.9 APG). The Sooners' starting five ranks second nationally at 72.1 points per game, trailing only No. 3 South Carolina, with all five starters averaging double figures, led by Aaliyah Chavez (18.9 PPG) and Raegan Beers (17.4 PPG). OU ranks top five nationally in fast-break points (21.4, 3rd), second-chance points (17.9, 4th) and paint points (48.0, 3rd), while sitting 15th in offensive rating (115.7).

• The Sooners have posted 60+ rebounds in three straight games for the first time in program history, totaling 60 vs. NC Central, 63 vs. Texas A&M and 64 vs. Mississippi State. Overall, OU leads the nation with five 60-rebound games, the most by any team in a season since Troy recorded seven in 2022.

SERIES HISTORY

Thursday marks the seventh all-time meeting between Oklahoma and Ole Miss, and the fourth since Baranczyk arrived at OU in 2021. The Sooners lead the series 4-2, but are 3-0 under Baranczyk, winning each game by exactly 10 points.

The Sooners are 2-0 all-time against the Rebels in Norman (both under Baranczyk).

Last season, OU knocked off Ole Miss in Oxford, 66-56, without All-American center Raegan Beers. Payton Verhulst led the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

UP NEXT

The Sooners' gauntlet of four games vs. ranked SEC foes continues on Sunday when they travel to Lexington to face No. 6 Kentucky at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Last season, Kentucky bested OU in Norman, 95-86, but the Sooners got the last laugh, defeating the 'Cats 69-65 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.