WBB Game Preview: Sooners Set for Top-10 Test With No. 6 LSU in Greenville

Friday, March 6

Bon Secours Wellness Arena • Greenville, S.C.

1:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

LSU

GREENVILLE, SC - March 05, 2026 - Oklahoma Guard Payton Verhulst (#12) during the game between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners during the SEC Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC. Photo By Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Asia Purnell/University of Oklahoma

WBB Game Preview: Sooners Set for Top-10 Test With No. 6 LSU in Greenville

March 05, 2026 | Women's Basketball

By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN — Winners of seven straight games, fifth-seeded and No. 7 Oklahoma (24-6, 11-5 SEC) advanced to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals for the second straight season and will face fourth-seeded and No. 6 LSU (26-4, 12-4 SEC) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. CT inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.

The game will air on ESPN with Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter). Fans can also listen on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (1520 AM) with Brian Brinkley and Tyler Neal, or in Spanish on Los Sooners Radio (1560 AM) with Danny Gonzales.

To reach Friday's quarterfinal, the Sooners beat Florida, 82-64, on Thursday in Greenville. Leading by four at halftime, OU outscored the Gators 27-7 in the third and led by as many as 28 in the fourth. Raegan Beers scored 18 and became the only active Division I player with 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds. Aaliyah Chavez added 17 (13 in the first half), while Zya Vann scored all 14 of her points after halftime.

FAN INFORMATION
The game will air on ESPN and on the Sooner Sports Radio Network by Brian Brinkley and Tyler Neal.

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

SERIES HISTORY

Friday is the fourth all-time meeting between Oklahoma and LSU, and the third over the last two seasons. LSU owns the series lead, 2-1, and won regular-season meetings last year and this season.

On Jan. 18 in Norman, LSU knocked off OU 91-72, the Sooners' largest loss this season. Payton Verhulst had 21 points, while Raegan Beers notched a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double, but OU couldn't overcome Flau'jae Johnson's 23 points and Jada Richard's 21. Played at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, the game marked the first sellout at OU since 2009. Oklahoma opened the game on an 11-2 run, knocking down its first three 3-point attempts after making just two in its previous outing. OU finished with 12 made 3-pointers, suffering its first loss when hitting a dozen triples since Feb. 17, 2024, at West Virginia.

THE FAST BREAK

• In the win over the Gators, Oklahoma's All-SEC center Raegan Beers, who made her 100^th career start on Thursday, made history in the win, becoming the third Sooner and only active Division I player to eclipse 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. She joined Courtney Paris (2,731 points, 2,032 rebounds) and Molly McGuire (2,147 points, 1,071 rebounds) in the elusive club. Beers now has 2,003 points and 1,207 rebounds in her illustrious career that spanned two seasons at Oregon State and two at Oklahoma.

• Oklahoma enters the postseason ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 and is one of five top-10 teams competing in Greenville this week. On March 1, the NCAA Selection Committee tabbed the Sooners as the nation's No. 12 overall team, positioning OU as a No. 3 seed and in line to host NCAA Tournament games for the second consecutive season.

• A win would give OU eighth straight victory. The Sooners had a 13-game streak earlier this season and have produced a eighth-game streak in every season under Baranczyk, including a seven-game winning streak to close the 2025 regular season. It would also give Oklahoma its 25th win, securing the fourth 25-win campaign in five seasons under Baranczyk. It would be OU's seventh ranked win and seventh Quad 1 victory of the season.

• The clearest recipe for success has come through efficiency. OU is 105-6 (.946) under Baranczyk when shooting a higher percentage than its opponent (won 29 of last 31) and is 86-6 when holding opponents under 40% from the field since 2021.

• Friday will be a battle on the boards as LSU and OU rank first and second, respectively, in the SEC in rebounding margin, with both ranked in the top five nationally. Since the 2021-22 season, Oklahoma is 100-18 when winning the rebounding battle, including 23-3 this season. The Sooners had won 21 straight games when outrebounding opponents before recent losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky despite finishing with more boards. In SEC play, OU posted a +11.25 rebounding margin, second in the league.

UP NEXT

A win would send the Sooners to the SEC semifinals for the second straight season. OU would face either top-seeded South Carolina (rematch of 2025 semifinals) or Kentucky on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. The Sooners defeated South Carolina, 94-82 in overtime, earlier this season in Norman — the Gamecocks' only SEC loss — but fell to Kentucky in the regular season.