WBB Game Preview: Sooners Journey to Tuscaloosa to Face No. 23 Crimson Tide

NORMAN — No. 10 Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 SEC) takes on its ninth ranked opponent of the season on Sunday when it travels to face No. 23 Alabama (20-5, 6-5 SEC) at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa.

Tip is about for 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network with Brenda VanLengen (play-by-play) and Anne O’Neil (analyst) on the decision. Fans can hear on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (107.7 FM) with Brian Brinkley and Tyler Neal, or in Spanish on Los Sooners Radio (1560 AM) with Danny Gonzales, with each broadcasts streaming on the Varsity App.

Pundits name the Southeastern Conference the hardest league within the nation and numbers again it up. Sunday’s matchup with No. 23 Alabama marks Oklahoma’s ninth ranked sport of the season and seventh in SEC play. While the Sooners have performed seven top-25 video games in previous convention seasons, they’ve by no means confronted seven totally different ranked convention opponents in a single common season. Including Sunday, Oklahoma can have performed seven top-25 video games – together with 5 vs. top-six groups – over its final 10 contests and is slated to face one other ranked opponent in Tennessee on Feb. 22.

FAN INFORMATION AND HOW TO FOLLOW

Tickets for the sport in Tuscaloosa are nonetheless accessible via the Alabama ticket workplace. The sport will air on SEC Network and on the Sooner Sports Radio Network. 

Fans can comply with live stats all through the sport.

The Sooners will put on their pink uniforms as Alabama hosts its annual Pink Game. 

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(10) Oklahoma at (23) Alabama Date: Sunday, Feb. 15 Tip Time: 3 p.m. CT Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. Arena: Coleman Coliseum

WATCH LIVE STATS GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5 SEC) recorded its nineteenth double-digit comeback beneath fifth-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, rallying to defeat Florida, 81-74, Thursday night time at Lloyd Noble Center. Oklahoma opened the sport on a 6-0 run earlier than Florida led 19-15 after the primary quarter. After OU tied the sport at 19, the Gators responded with a 13-0 run to construct a game-high 13-point lead (32-19). The Sooners trimmed the deficit to 11 at halftime. Florida led 48-35 halfway via the third quarter earlier than a 14-2 OU run lower the margin to at least one late within the interval. OU trailed 57-54 getting into the fourth earlier than a Payton Verhulst and-1 tied the sport at 64 with 5:59 remaining. The Sooners closed on a 17-10 run over the ultimate six minutes to safe the comeback win.

The 13-point deficit was Oklahoma’s largest overcome in a win this season and marked this system’s largest comeback in convention play since erasing a 15-point deficit vs. Texas (Feb. 28, 2024). The Sooners entered the night time 1-6 when trailing after three quarters and secured their second fourth-quarter comeback win this season. Sophomore Zya Vann led OU with 18 factors on 7-of-10 capturing, together with 4 made 3-pointers. She added 4 steals, three assists and two rebounds. The efficiency marked a profession excessive vs. a convention opponent and was three shy of her profession finest (21 vs. NC Central).

THE FAST BREAK

• The Sooners are threatening the document e book in 2025-26. Oklahoma has already set college information for each whole and consecutive 100-point video games with six and 4, respectively. The Sooners are averaging 87.7 factors per sport, a tempo that will shatter final season’s program document of 84.7, whereas their plus-21.8 scoring margin would prime the 1984-85 college mark of 17.0. On the defensive finish, Oklahoma is closing in on this system document for discipline objective % protection at 33.7% set in 2006-07 and is at the moment on monitor to set a brand new college document for defensive score at 82.1.

• A win would give Oklahoma its nineteenth ranked win beneath Baranczyk and its third this season (No. 23 Oklahoma State and No. 2 South Carolina). It would mark OU’s fourth Quad 1 win. 

• The calling card of Oklahoma basketball, the Sooner offense is averaging 87.7 factors per sport – a median that will break this system’s scoring document set final season (84.7 PPG). The Sooners rank fourth nationally in scoring offense and are powered by a beginning 5 that averages 69.1 mixed factors per sport, greater than all however one beginning unit within the nation. OU additionally ranks among the many nationwide leaders throughout a number of offensive classes, together with tempo (78.4, 1st), second-chance factors (17.1, 2nd), fast-break factors (17.8, 4th), assists (20.4, fifth) and factors within the paint (43.8, sixth).

• Freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez and senior All-America heart Raegan Beers – each Wooden Award late midseason top-20 finalists – type one of many nation’s best duos and are every top-10 finalists for his or her respective positional Player of the Year honors. The pair combines to common 34.1 factors per sport, rating third amongst SEC tandems and within the prime 10 amongst Power Five duos. With Chavez and Beers on the ground collectively, Oklahoma outscores opponents by 34.4 factors per 100 possessions whereas posting a defensive score within the 98th percentile nationally. 

• When Raegan Beers is on the ground, Oklahoma is considerably higher on each ends of the court docket. With Beers enjoying, OU outperforms opponents by 37.5 factors per 100 possessions – a quantity that ranks within the 98th percentile nationally and is the very best amongst submit gamers. Offensively, the Sooners rating rather more effectively with Beers (113.9 offensive score) in comparison with when she’s off the court docket (101.5). Defensively, OU permits 14.8 fewer factors per 100 possessions with Beers within the sport as she is a top-20 finalist for National Defensive Player of the Year. 

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday marks the third all-time assembly between Oklahoma and Alabama with the collection tied 1-1. The Sooners defeated the Crimson Tide, 91-84, final season in Norman on Senior Night, whereas Alabama gained the one assembly in Tuscaloosa, 71-62, in 1995.

In final yr’s assembly, Beers scored 22 factors and grabbed 11 rebounds, whereas Payton Verhulst scored 24 factors and made 4 3-pointers. 

UP NEXT

The Sooners journey to Athens to face Georgia on Thursday at Stegeman Coliseum. Tip is about for five:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.