OU women's basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk talks about Zya Vann's surprising decision to transfer to Texas
(by George Stoia) For Jennie Baranczyk, losing starting point guard Zya Vann to the portal was a little surprising. It was even more surprising when Vann chose Oklahoma’s rival, Texas, as her landing spot. Vann started all 34 games for the Sooners in 2025-26, averaging 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. She has two seasons of...read more from the SoonerScoop
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma Lands Former ACC Forward From Transfer Portal
(by Carson Field) The Sooners’ newest transfer portal addition will come to Norman with plenty of experience against high-level competition. Oklahoma earned a commitment from former Virginia and LSU forward Sa’Myah Smith on Saturday, per a report from Talia Goodman of On3. Smith is a 6-2 forward who originally hails from Texarkana, TX...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Oklahoma women's basketball hires Jared Boyd as first-ever general manager
(by Collin Kennedy) Oklahoma women's basketball has hired its first general manager in program history. The Sooners tabbed Jared Boyd as their new GM, a significant move in the changing landscape of collegiate athletics. As general manager, Boyd is set to oversee roster management and player acquisition. He'll work closely with the head...read more from Sooners Illustrated
Raegan Beers draft snub proves WNBA teams are overthinking elite production
(by Dekota Gregory) The 2026 WNBA Draft was Monday and left former Oklahoma center Raegan Beers as one of the biggest snubs of the night after a stellar college basketball career between the Sooners and Oregon State. Beers went undrafted in three rounds of the WNBA Draft as players she was much more productive than in college...read more from Stormin' in Norman
TRANSFER: Oklahoma women's hoops adds 2nd transfer in former 5-star Kansas State guard Jordan Speiser
(by Tom Green) NORMAN — Oklahoma's women's basketball has added another former five-star to the fold. The Sooners on Tuesday afternoon picked up a commitment from Kansas State transfer Jordan Speiser, who was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 17 overall player in the 2025 class. Speiser announced her commitment on...read more from Sooners Illustrated
Transfer Portal: OU women's basketball lands former five-star prospect
(by Jesse Crittenden) Jennie Baranczyk snagged her first commitment in this transfer portal cycle on Monday. It’s a huge win, with a familiar face coming back home. The Sooners landed a commitment from Norman native and former five-star prospect Keeley Parks. She played her high school basketball at Norman High School and emerged...read more from the OUInsider
Women's Basketball: Is Oklahoma's Pursuit of Audi Crooks Actually a Good Idea?
(by Ryan Chapman) Jennie Baranczyk and her staff have a lot of work to do this offseason. The losses of Raegan Beers and Payton Verhulst meant OU would have production to replace in the transfer portal, and Zya Vann’s decision to enter the portal will only serve to further those needs. Former Iowa State star Audi Crooks is headed to the...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma's Offseason Guide as the Sooners Brace for Life Without Beers and Verhulst
(by Ryan Chapman) The dust is only just settling on the 2025-2026 season, but Oklahoma must quickly turn its attention to the upcoming campaign. Jennie Baranczyk’s squad made it to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-2011, but OU will have to regroup without veterans Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst and...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma's Season Ends in Sweet 16 With Loss to South Carolina
(by Ryan Chapman) For the second straight year, Oklahoma’s season ended in the Sweet 16. South Carolina exacted revenge over the Sooners, brushing OU aside 94-68 on Saturday at Golden1 Center in Sacramento. The Gamecocks made five 3’s all night in their loss to Oklahoma back in January. South Carolina connected seven times...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma Hoping to Find Magic One More Time Against Top-Seeded South Carolina
(by Ryan Chapman) Oklahoma enters Saturday in rare air. Not often does a team enter a rematch with South Carolina having notched a win earlier in the season, but the Sooners have just that. Ahead of Saturday’s Sweet 16 battle between the top-seeded Gamecocks and 4-seed OU, it was Jennie Baracznyk’s team that came out on top 94-82...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
OU women's basketball playing 'a lot of history' against South Carolina but proud of 'togetherness'
(by Josh Franklin) No. 4 seed OU women’s basketball (26-7) stands one win away from its fourth Elite Eight in program history, but to get there, the Sooners will have to topple one of the nation’s top teams. On Saturday, head coach Jennie Baranczyk’s group faces its toughest challenge of the postseason: No. 1 seed South Carolina (33-3)...read more from the OU Daily
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma gets shocking disrespect from Vegas before South Carolina rematch
(by Dekota Gregory) It seems the oddsmakers in Vegas either forgot what happened the last time the Oklahoma Sooners played the South Carolina Gamecocks, or just believe it was a flatout fluke. Despite the Sooners already beating South Carolina during the regular season, FanDuel opened the Gamecocks as massive 17.5-point favorites in...read more from Stormin' in Norman
Women's Basketball: Aaliyah Chavez Helping Oklahoma in Major Ways Even if Shot Isn't Falling
(by Ryan Aber) NORMAN — Aaliyah Chavez doesn’t have a lot of NCAA Tournament experience under her belt quite yet. But on her biggest stage yet Sunday night in the second round against Michigan State at Lloyd Noble Center, Oklahoma’s freshman phenom came up big when it mattered most, hitting a big 3-pointer with less than three...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: Sooners outlast Michigan State, headed back to Sweet Sixteen
(by Jesse Crittenden) NORMAN — For the second consecutive season, Oklahoma is headed to the Sweet Sixteen. The fourth-seeded Sooners clinched their spot in the next round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, outlasting fifth-seeded Michigan State, 77-71, at Lloyd Noble Center. It marks the 12th time in program history the Sooners have...read more from the OUInsider
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma's 'Business-Like' Payton Verhulst Looking Forward to Taking on old Friends
(by Ryan Aber) NORMAN — Waiting in the tunnel of Lloyd Noble Center on Friday night, Payton Verhulst’s eyes quickly locked with Michigan State’s Jalyn Brown. Brown’s Spartans had just escaped Colorado State, 65-62, to set up a potential second-round NCAA Tournament matchup with Verhulst and Oklahoma. As Brown was coming off the...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: Familiar Faces Square Off Down Low as Oklahoma Battles Michigan State for Spot in the Sweet 16
(by Ryan Chapman) NORMAN — Sunday’s Second Round battle will pit strength versus strength in Norman. Oklahoma leans on center Raegan Beers, while Michigan State plays through its own big, Grace VanSlooten. Both the 4-seeded Sooners and 5-seeded Spartans lean on underclassmen guards, freshman Aaliyah Chavez for OU and...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: How the Sooners Returned to Playing 'Oklahoma Basketball' in NCAA Tournament Opener
(by Ryan Chapman) NORMAN — The Sooners found their joy on Friday night. There were plenty of smiles around the Lloyd Noble Center as 4-seed Oklahoma kicked off its NCAA Tournament run with an emphatic victory over 13-seed Idaho. Junior forward Sahara Williams set the tone with ear-to-ear grins, skips across the floor and love for...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Women's Basketball: Sooners' strong odds vs Michigan State reveal growing Sweet 16 belief
(by Dekota Gregory) The Oklahoma Sooners have pretty sweet odds of beating Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The No. 4 seed Sooners in primetime on Sunday will take on No. 5 Michigan State at Lloyd Noble Center with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. Once the matchup was set after OU's blowout first-round...read more from Stormin' in Norman
Women's Basketball: Sooners beat Idaho, advance to NCAA Tournament second round behind stellar defense
(by Jesse Crittenden) NORMAN — It was 9:15 p.m. local time before Oklahoma’s contest with Idaho finally tipped off. It was the final NCAA Tournament game of the day. And the Sooners certainly opened the game like it was past their bedtime, as both teams were tied at 11-11 with four minutes left in the first quarter. But the Sooners...read more from the OUInsider
Women's Basketball: Oklahoma Opens March Madness Against 'Legit' Idaho Team on 18-game Winning Streak
(by Ryan Chapman) NORMAN — Oklahoma will have to snap a massive streak to advance to the Second Round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The 4-seeded Sooners host 13-seeded Idaho on Friday night (9 p.m., ESPN), and the Big Sky Champion Vandals have ripped off 18-straight wins. Idaho’s last loss came on Jan. 10 at the hands of...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
