Tag: Sherri Coale

Oklahoma Sooners heading west in latest ESPN Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracketology

Despite winning a share of the Big 12 regular season title, the Sooners are just outside of a host seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology.

The Oklahoma Sooners left Stillwater with a Bedlam sweep and a share of the Big 12 championship with their 80-71 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the end-of-game drama that transpired, the Sooners can hold their heads high. They accomplished something that hadn’t happened in Norman in more than a decade. 2009 was the last time the Sooners won a Big 12 title.

That’s quite the feat.

And as they prepare for the Phillip’s 66 Big 12 championships in Kansas City, they’re on the verge of owning a host seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament.

According to the latest bracketology from ESPN, the Oklahoma Sooners would be a five seed if the tournament started today. A good showing in the Big 12 tournament, namely winning it, or beating Texas along the way, could prove enough to bump them to a four-seed.

Why does that matter?

As the four seed, the Sooners would host the first two rounds of the Women’s NCAA tournament. If this latest bracketology holds up, Oklahoma would head west to Los Angeles, joining a foursome hosted by UCLA, which also would include UNLV and Long Beach State.

That would basically be like home court for Oklahoma’s opponents.

Oklahoma’s opportunity to improve its resume and earn a higher seeding starts with the Big 12 tournament, which starts later this week. As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, they’ll wait on the winner of Kansas vs. TCU in the 7-10 matchup. Texas, the No. 1 seed, awaits the winner of the 8-9 matchup featuring Texas Tech and Kansas State.

The Sooners’ postseason will tip-off at 5 p.m. CT on Friday evening in Kansas City, Mo.

Sooners continue to move on up in ESPN’s latest Women’s Basketball Power Rankings

In the midst of a six-game winning streak, the Oklahoma Sooners have moved into the top 10 in ESPN’s Women’s Basketball Power Rankings.

After another win, [autotag]Jennie Baranczyk[/autotag]’s crew has won six straight and remains tied with the Texas Longhorns for first place in the Big 12.

It’s the Sooners’ longest win streak in the Big 12 since they won five in a row in the 2016-2017 and 2010-2011 seasons. The last time they won six straight Big 12 games was in the 2008-2009 season, which happens to be the last time the Sooners won a Big 12 title.

That year, [autotag]Sherri Coale[/autotag] led Oklahoma to a 15-1 record in the Big 12. They were 32-5 overall and advanced to the Final Four.

Could this year’s Sooners be destined for that kind of finish in 2023?

Over the last few weeks, the Sooners have risen considerably in ESPN’s women’s basketball power rankings. They rose a couple more spots and sit at No. 9.

Speaking of hot teams, the Sooners are it in the Big 12, as they also have won six in a row. This past week, they topped Texas Tech and Kansas. Oklahoma’s already good depth has gotten a boost from guard Aubrey Joens, who had a combined 35 points and 14 rebounds in the victories. The showdown for first place in the Big 12 comes this week when the Longhorns visit; both Texas and Oklahoma are 12-3 in league play. – M.A. Voepel, ESPN

[autotag]Aubrey Joens[/autotag] has been a revelation off the bench. She was considered a significant addition in the transfer portal last offseason but hadn’t made much of an impact. That’s changed. After leading the Sooners in scoring against Texas Tech, she provided a lift in 18 minutes off the bench against Kansas, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from three for 12 points in the win.

With Joens coming on strong, the Sooners have as many as six players that can score in double-figures. Getting her contributions off the bench is huge as the season reaches its late stage.

The two best teams in the Big 12 will meet on Saturday in a game that could very well determine the Big 12 regular season champion. Oklahoma will have two more games after that and Texas one, but their Saturday showdown will pit the best offense in the conference against the best defense in the conference.

The last time the two met, Texas picked up a 20-point win in Austin. The Sooners are hoping to return the favor and split the season series.

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Taylor Robertson’s three at the buzzer lifts OU over Kansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners beat the Kansas State Wildcats on Taylor Robertson’s three at the buzzer.

On an afternoon when the Oklahoma Sooners were honoring Sherri Coale and the 2002 final four team, the present day Sooners provided a moment to remember when Taylor Robertson drained a three at the buzzer to beat Kansas State.

In a game where the Sooners led by as many nine, the Wildcats battled back in the second half to make it a game late.

The Wildcats would take a 60-59 lead with just under six minutes to play, but that would be the last time the Wildcats would lead. Over the final 5:59, Oklahoma was either tied or led Kansas State, ultimately winning on Robertson’s last-second three.

For the game, Robertson was 5 of 8 from the field and 4 of 7 from three for 17 points. She added five rebounds to her stellar performance. Madi Williams led the way for the Sooners with 18 points and 10 points, going 7 of 11 from the field. Skylar Vann was the only other Sooner in double figures with 10 points off the bench to help Oklahoma win their second in a row after a three-game losing streak.

The Sooners are 22-6 on the season and third in the Big 12 with matchups against Oklahoma State and Kansas to close the season,

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There could be two new head coaches in Big 12 basketball next season

The Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns will both be replacing their men’s basketball head coaches.

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The Oklahoma Sooners recently received news that current men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger would follow Sherri Coale‘s lead and retire from coaching. Continue reading “There could be two new head coaches in Big 12 basketball next season”

Oklahoma will re-open facilities for basketball teams on July 20

Players and staff from Oklahoma’s basketball teams underwent COVID-19 testing Friday, in preparation for their return to campus on Monday. 

Players and staff from Oklahoma’s men’s and women’s basketball teams underwent COVID-19 testing on Friday, in preparation for their return to campus on Monday.

They also received an instruction booklet outlining the following protocols:

Student-athletes can voluntarily “remove themselves with no impact to their team standing or athletics department financial aid,” at any point in time.

Players that test positive will be quarantined on-campus at the discretion of the medical staff. In the case of a positive test, the staff will be working with the OSDH “for tracking and tracing purposes to determine others who may be at risk.”

Social distancing will be properly observed during team meetings. Student-athletes will also be instructed to shower at home, not at the facility.

Headington Hall, which houses many of the school’s student-athletes, has also undergone several protocols:

Occupancy is limited to two students per room, common areas have been fitted with shields, and “hospital-grade filters have been installed.”

Its dining hall also eliminated self-serve stations, rearranged the seating for more space, and will not accept cash transactions.

The protocols were developed by OU’s medical staff in conjunction with Dr. Dale Bratzler, OU’s Chief COVID Officer. Bratzler is also a professor at OU’s colleges of medicine and public health.

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