Broadly, the Oklahoma Women’s basketball program is overachieving this season. Recently, however, they gave up a 61 point outburst to a national player of the year candidate Ayoka Lee. In that game, the Sooners were overmatched and looked out of place in a 94-65 loss. Fortunately, Oklahoma bounced back today with a massive victory over ninth-ranked Texas 65-63. This piece will focus on the significance of their accomplishment and its impact on their seeding. The effect for Texas will also be part of this piece.
Oklahoma Bounced Back with Massive Victory over Rival Texas
How Oklahoma Won
The Sooners started the game well by leading after the first quarter and taking a three-point lead at halftime. Madi Williams scored ten points in the half to help pace her team. However, Texas went on a run in the third quarter and won the period by six to take a three-point lead. Oklahoma took the lead immediately until Aliyah Matharu scored in the fourth, giving the Longhorns a one-point lead with four minutes left in the game. Next, the teams went back and forth, exchanging the lead twice before Liz Scott, an unlikely hero, hit her only attempt of the game to give the Sooners the lead with four seconds to go at 65-63. Texas had chances to win this game, but Rori Harmon could not make the final shot. Harmon had 15 points for the Longhorns, and Williams ended with 23 for the Sooners.
Significance of this Win
Oklahoma bounced back from that bad loss to Kansas State the other day. This win will help the Sooners get back on track. Oklahoma is a massive rival of Texas, and this win emphasizes how important they thought this game was. A win over the ninth-ranked team in the country helps Oklahoma’s resume immensely. At 18-3, the Sooners have a spectacular record and look like a dangerous team in the Big 12. They have wins over Baylor, Texas, Kansas, Utah, BYU, Mississippi State, and South Dakota. These teams are tournament-caliber, and this collection of wins should vault the Sooners into the top 16. Making the top 16 allows a team to host their first two tournament games, making those games easier. Ironically, Oklahoma has a first-year coach this season in Jennie Baranczyk.
Baranczyk made Drake a contender for several years and has excelled at OU this season. Returning the Sooners to national prominence is impressive and should not be overlooked.
Impact for Texas
For the Longhorns, this loss is a minor setback in their path to a top-four seed in the tournament. Texas was in the NCAA’s first reveal as a three-seed, unlike the Sooners. This loss probably moves them to the four-line. At 15-4 with wins over Kansas State, Iowa State, Princeton, Texas A & M, and Stanford, this team still has a strong resume. However, losses to Texas Tech and Kansas hurt their chances, and at the moment, they might fall to a five seed. Texas has back-to-back games against Baylor next week and another matchup with Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Kansas State where they can improve their resume. Texas is currently fourth in the Big 12; they need a win over Baylor to help strengthen their position in the league. To make the top 16, the Longhorns need to win at least three of their five big games and avoid losing to the bottom half of the conference again.
Oklahoma bounced back tonight, and both of these teams look like threats come March. They both have excellent three-point shooting and create challenging matchups all over the floor. I am excited to see if one of them can end Baylor’s dominance by winning the conference or if Iowa State will take the crown.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
