WBB Game Preview: Sooners Seek Second Straight Ranked Win Thursday at Georgia

Thursday, February 19

Stegeman Coliseum • Athens, Ga.

5:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

Georgia

TUSCALOOSA, AL - February 15, 2026 - Oklahoma Guard Keziah Lofton (#22) during the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL. Photo By Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma

WBB Game Preview: Sooners Seek Second Straight Ranked Win Thursday at Georgia

February 18, 2026 | Women's Basketball

By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN — No. 11 Oklahoma (19-6, 7-5 SEC), which was tabbed as the No. 16 team in the NCAA selection committee's initial Top 16 reveal on Feb. 14, faces its 10th ranked opponent of the season Thursday, traveling to No. 24 Georgia (20-6, 6-6 SEC) at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., with tip set for 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network with Sam Gore (play-by-play) and Anne O'Neil (analyst) on the call. Fans can listen on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (107.7 FM) with Brian Brinkley or in Spanish on Los Sooners Radio (1560 AM) with Danny Gonzales, with both broadcasts streaming on the Varsity App.

The Sooners, winners of two straight, will look to notch their second consecutive win over a ranked opponent after dispatching then-No. 23 Alabama on Sunday.

FAN INFORMATION AND HOW TO FOLLOW

Tickets for the game in Athens are still available through the Georgia ticket office. The game will air on SEC Network and on the Sooner Sports Radio Network.

Fans can follow live stats throughout the game.

(11) Oklahoma at (24) Georgia
Date: Thursday, Feb. 19
Tip Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
Location: Athens, Ga.
Arena: Stegeman Coliseum

WATCH
LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma (19-6, 7-5 SEC) won its third top-25 game of the season, defeating No. 23 Alabama, 79-71, in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sunday afternoon. The Sooners have now won six straight against teams ranked Nos. 20-25 in the AP poll. The Sooners built an early lead, as large as 13 in the second quarter as they led by eight at halftime. The OU lead ballooned to 14 after a 6-0 run to open the third quarter, before OU senior guard Payton Verhulst left the game with a lower-leg injury. With the guard out, the Crimson Tide stormed back into the game, using a 21-7 run over the next 5:30 to take a 57-54 lead. Verhulst checked back in with 54 seconds left in the third quarter and spurred a 15-7 sprint that saw Oklahoma take a six-point lead with 3:21 remaining in the contest. Over the final three minutes, OU freshman Aaliyah Chavez wouldn't be denied, scoring six points and giving OU the 79-71 win.

THE FAST BREAK

• The Sooners landed on several watch lists this week as Raegan Beers and Aaliyah Chavez were tabbed to the Wooden Award's Top 20 and the Naismith Trophy's Late-Season Team, both of which are given annually to the nation's top player. Additionally, head coach Jennie Baranczyk was named a top-15 finalist for the Naismith's National Coach of the Year award for the third time in five seasons.

• A win would give Oklahoma its 20th ranked win under Baranczyk and its fourth this season. Entering the night, OU is 10-6 against teams ranked inside the NET Ranking's top 100 and is undefeated against teams ranked outside the top 20.

• Oklahoma dropped to No. 11 in the AP poll this week but moved up to No. 9 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll. The Sooners were unveiled as the NCAA Selection Committee's No. 16 team in the country on Feb. 14. Oklahoma carries a 44-week active streak in the AP poll (6th longest in NCAA), the third-longest run in program history and the program's longest stretch since a 59-week span from 2000-03.

• While her scoring often grabs the spotlight, national freshman of the year candidate Aaliyah Chavez is emerging as one of the nation's top playmakers. The Sooners are 13-0 this season when she leads the team in assists. Chavez averages 4.2 assists per game, the best mark among freshmen nationally who score at least 18.0 points per game. She has posted five or more assists in 11 games this season, including five against SEC opponents, and is averaging 6.5 assists over Oklahoma's last two games.

• The calling card of Oklahoma basketball, the Sooner offense is averaging 87.3 points per game – an average that would break the program's scoring record set last season (84.7 PPG). The Sooners rank fourth nationally in scoring offense and are powered by a starting five that averages 69.1 combined points per game, more than all but one starting unit in the country. OU also ranks among the national leaders across multiple offensive categories, including pace (791, 1st), second-chance points (17.2, 2nd), fast-break points (17.6, 4th), assists (20.4, 4th) and points in the paint (43.9, 6th).

SERIES HISTORY

Thursday marks the ninth all-time meeting between Oklahoma and Georgia and the second when both teams are ranked, joining a Nov. 15, 2009, matchup that saw No. 21 UGA beat No. 13 Oklahoma, 62-51. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 5-3, but the Sooners are 2-0 under Baranczyk, who beat Georgia twice last season (in Norman and Greenville).

It's a Hawkeye reunion in Athens as Coach Baranczyk and UGA head coach Katie Abrahamason-Henderson are both graduates of the University of Iowa. The two are part of a group of head coaches with Iowa roots whose teams have been ranked or received votes in the AP Top 25 this season. That group includes Baranczyk with No. 11 Oklahoma (Urbandale), Jan Jensen with No. 13 Iowa (Kimballton), Brenda Frese with No. 14 Maryland (Cedar Rapids), Abrahamson-Henderson with No. 24 Georgia (Cedar Rapids) and Shauna Green with Illinois (receiving votes, Clinton), while Iowa State's Bill Fennelly (Davenport) and Wisconsin's Robin Pingeton (Cedar Rapids) were also ranked earlier this season.

UP NEXT

The Sooners host No. 21 Tennessee on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN at the Lloyd Noble Center. The game is OU's annual Pink Game.

Cancer survivors and fighters can sign up now for the survivor experience, which includes two free general admission tickets to the game, pink carpet treatment upon arrival to the arena, a complimentary pnk shirt and the opportunity to participate in the Survivor Walk at halftime.

Additionally, the first 4,000 fans at the arena will receive a free pink OU Health shirt to help us pack the LNC pink.

Tickets for the game are still available through the Oklahoma Ticket Office and online.