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NORMAN – At least a share of the Big 12 championship is up for grabs Saturday when No. 16 Oklahoma travels north to Stillwater for Bedlam vs. Oklahoma State. A Sooner victory over the Cowgirls in the regular season finale would clinch at least a share of the program's first conference title since 2009, and the seventh regular season Big 12 championship in program history.
Tip at Gallagher-Iba Arena is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+ with Mike Wolfe and Barry Hinson on the call. Brian Brinkley will have the game on the Sooner Radio Network. The Sooners are looking for their second consecutive Bedlam sweep, as head coach Jennie Baranczyk is 3-0 vs. the Cowgirls while at Oklahoma. OU has locked up a top-two seed at next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, and a win on Saturday paired with a Texas loss would make OU the outright champion and the top seed.
THE STARTING FIVE
Oklahoma's super senior class of Madi Williams, Ana Llanusa and Taylor Robertson is one of the most decorated in program history. After winning a combined 20 games in their first two years together, the Sooner trio has posted back-to-back seasons of 20+ wins, sending Oklahoma back into the AP Top 25 in each of the last two seasons. They're the nation's highest-scoring trio, combining for over 6,200 points in their career as they three have accumulated 12 postseason All-Big 12 selections and all rank inside the school's top 12 in all-time scoring.
The Sooners have the country's No. 2 scoring offense, pouring in 85.4 points per game powered by 20.8 assists per game. The Sooners have four players that score in double figures, led by Madi Williams' 16.1 points per game. The Sooners have scored at least 88 points 15 times this season and are undefeated when eclipsing 80 points. The team's 79.2 possessions per 40 minutes are the third most in the country.
The scenario for the Sooners is simple – win Saturday and you are Big 12 champions. Tied atop the Big 12 standings with No. 12 Texas at 13-4, an OU win paired with a Texas loss to K-State Saturday would make Oklahoma the outright Big 12 champion. A loss from both OU and Texas would deliver a shared title to both teams.
A win would give the Sooners their 24th win in the regular season, the most for an OU team since the 2008-09 team went 27-3 in the regular season en route to the Final Four.
The leading candidate for Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year again this season, Skylar Vann is the only player in the country to average 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds without a start this year. Her 15 games of double-digit points are the fourth most in the country among bench players, and most in the Big 12.
SERIES HISTORY
One of the nation's fiercest rivalries, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have met in Bedlam 113 times since 1975. The Sooners own a 66-47 series advantage, including a 25-24 lead in Stillwater. The Sooners swept the Cowgirls last season as Baranczyk became the first OU head women's basketball coach to sweep Bedlam in their first season. Baranczyk is 3-0 vs. OSU following a win this season in Norman.
LAST TIME OUT
In an instant classic, No. 16 Oklahoma knocked off Kansas State, 90-86, in overtime on Wednesday night to forge a tie with No. 12 Texas atop the Big 12 standings with just one conference game remaining. On a senior night where the Sooners honored one of the most decorated senior classes in program history in Ana Llanusa, Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson, it was junior Skylar Vann whose career-high 23 points powered Oklahoma (23-5, 13-4) to the thrilling win. The win guaranteed Oklahoma the No. 1 or No. 2 seed at next week's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, solidifying the team's best Big 12 finish since a runner-up placement in 2015. A Sooner victory on Saturday at Oklahoma State would clinch at least a share of the program's first Big 12 championship since 2009.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma heads to Kansas City for the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship next week. The Sooners will enter the bracket at the No. 1 or No. 2 seed pending Saturday's results. The Sooners will either play at 1:30 p.m. CT or 5 p.m. CT on Friday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium.
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