The Oklahoma Sooners have been on a roll to start Big 12 play. After their win over Oklahoma State, they’ve now won five straight and are 6-1 in the Big 12, which is good for first place in the conference.
They continue to score at an incredible rate. They’re third in the nation in scoring, averaging 87.3 points per game. That puts them just 0.9 points per game behind the No. 4 (Coaches Poll) team in the nation, the undefeated LSU Tigers. The other team in front of the Sooners is the 14-4 Iowa Hawkeyes, who are currently the No. 9 team in the most recent USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Sooners are playing great team basketball along the way, leading the nation in assists per game with 21.2, tied with the UConn Huskies.
[autotag]Madi Williams[/autotag] is fourth in the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 16.4 points per game. In the win over Oklahoma State, she scored 26 points, marking the sixth time this season she’s had more than 20 points. It’s the fourth time since December 21 that she’s crossed the 20-point mark in a game. She’s also forcing teams to respect her when she’s outside the paint, knocking down 2.3 three-pointers per game. That ability allows [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag] to spread the floor, providing opportunities for other Sooners to make plays in the offense.
[autotag]Taylor Robertson[/autotag] continues to be clutch for Oklahoma. In last night’s comeback win over Oklahoma State, she scored all 15 of her points in the second half. She leads the Big 12 in three-pointers made per game with 2.7 and three-point shooting percentage at 41..5%.
Oklahoma’s getting contributions from deep in the lineup. Four players average more than 10 points per game; Williams, Robertson, [autotag]Ana Llanusa[/autotag], and [autotag]Skylar Vann[/autotag]. Llanusa is the Sooners’ second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game.
If you include [autotag]Neveah Tot[/autotag] (8.6) and [autotag]Liz Scott[/autotag] (7.9), Oklahoma has six players averaging eight points per game or more on the season. But the scoring of those six players only accounts for 60.9% of their team average on the season. Baranczyk is getting contributions from a number of women in her lineup.
She’s gone deep into the bench and has 10 players averaging 10 minutes or more per game on the season and eight players averaging 14.8 minutes or more per game.
As of ESPN’s latest Bracketology from Friday, the Sooners are projected to be a four-seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament. A win over projected six-seeded Oklahoma State could help improve their bracketology stock when ESPN updates it later this week.
They’re a force to be reckoned with and have a chance to win their first Big 12 title since 2009. The Big 12 will continue to provide tough tests along the way, but the Sooners are the team to beat moving forward.
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