Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball

Summary

The Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.

Oklahoma Sooners
2023–24 Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team
UniversityUniversity of Oklahoma
Head coachJennie Baranczyk (2nd season)
ConferenceBig 12
LocationNorman, Oklahoma
ArenaLloyd Noble Center
(Capacity: 12,000)
NicknameSooners
ColorsCrimson and cream[1]
   
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament runner-up
2002
NCAA tournament Final Four
2002, 2009, 2010
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2002, 2009, 2010
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1986, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
NCAA tournament second round
1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2024
NCAA tournament appearances
1986, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
Conference tournament champions
2002, 2004, 2006, 2007
Conference regular season champions
2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2023, 2024

History edit

OU women's basketball began during the 1974–75 academic year. In March 1990, Oklahoma officials released a statement saying that the women's basketball program was to be dropped, after many years of sub-par performance and low attendance. Many people voiced their complaints and eight days later, OU reinstated the program.[2] At the time, the average attendance per game was 65 people. In 1996, Oklahoma hired former Norman High School women's basketball coach Sherri Coale to the same position at the university. The Sooner women's basketball team developed in years since to status as a leader in attendance across the nation. The Sooners averaged attendance of 6,851 in 2011–12 at home games, and the support for the sport led to Oklahoma hosting first and second-round games in the Women's NCAA Basketball Championships at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. The Sooners also set a record on February 2, 2009, when they played host to the number 13 Tennessee Lady Volunteers, led by coach Pat Summit, who was trying to get career victory 1,000, something that no other coach had done before. The attendance for that game, which was held at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, was close to 13,000 as well as setting a record for the most watched women's basketball game in history. The Sooners led the Big 12 conference in attendance as well. As with the men's team, they call Lloyd Noble Center home.

The program gained national prominence during the 2002 post-season when they advanced to the national title game and lost to the University of Connecticut Huskies. In the 2005–06 season, the Sooners were led by their coach Sherri Coale and the nationally known sophomore twins Courtney and Ashley Paris, daughters of former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Bubba Paris, to the third round of the national tournament. The team also won the Big 12 regular-season championship (with a 16–0 conference record) and the Big 12 Tournament. They became the first Big 12 women's basketball team to remain undefeated throughout conference play.

In the 2008–09 season, the Sooners made it to the Final Four of the 2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. They advanced through the Oklahoma City Regional, where they enjoyed considerable home court advantage, as Norman and Oklahoma City are separated by fewer than 20 miles.

The 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons failed to result in regional championships and NCAA Final Four appearances. Playing through rigorous non-conference schedules and a rugged Big 12 slate, the Sooners received No. 6 seeds each of the two years. The 10–11 team advanced through the Charlottesville, Virginia, first and second round site with a win over nearby James Madison University and an upset win over the University of Miami Hurricanes. The season came to an abrupt halt in Dayton, Ohio, in the Sweet Sixteen, with the team falling to No. 2 seed Notre Dame, which steamrolled to a national championship appearance that year. The 11–12 team failed to make it past the No. 3 seed St. John's Red Storm in a 74–70 defeat in front of several thousand Sooner fans in Norman, Oklahoma. St. Johns lost in the Sweet Sixteen to the Duke Blue Devils in Fresno, California.

Oklahoma City hosted an NCAA regional in March 2013.[3]

The 2012–13 Sooners missed graduating senior Jelena Serena, but retained the rest of the team. Adding to the corps were two National Top 20 recruits, Maddie Manning and Nicole Kornet, and Sooners Jasmine Hartman and Lyndsey Cloman rejoined the active roster. Both Hartman and Cloman sat out the entire 2011–12 season with injuries.

Conference affiliations edit

Oklahoma has played in the Big 8 and the Big 12 conferences. The Sooners joined the Big 12 in 1996 when the Big 8 and four members of the Southwest Conference created the Big 12. Oklahoma has been affiliated with the following conferences:

Conference Years Reason left
Big Six/Seven/Eight Conference 1982–1996 Conference dissolved
Big 12 Conference 1996–2024 Joined SEC
Southeastern Conference 2024–future

Coaches edit

Since its formation in 1974 the team has been led by eight different head coaches with the most recent being Sherri Coale who retired after the 2020–21 season.

Championships edit

Conference regular season edit

Season Coach Conference Overall record Conference record
1985–86 Maura McHugh Big Eight 24–7 10–4
1999–2000§ Sherri Coale Big 12 25–8 13–3
2000–01 Sherri Coale Big 12 28–6 15–1
2001–02 Sherri Coale Big 12 32–4 14–2
2005–06 Sherri Coale Big 12 31–5 16–0
2006–07§ Sherri Coale Big 12 28–5 13–3
2008–09 Sherri Coale Big 12 32–5 15–1
2022–23§ Jennie Baranczyk Big 12 26–7 14–4
2023–24 Jennie Baranczyk Big 12 TBD - style="text-align:center; background-color:#DDCBA4;color:#841617;;" Conference regular season championships 9

§ – Conference co-champions

Conference tournament championships edit

Year Coach Opponent Score Site Conference Overall record Conference record
2002 Sherri Coale Baylor 84–69 Kansas City, Missouri Big 12 32–4 14–2
2004 Sherri Coale Texas 66–47 Dallas, Texas Big 12 24–9 9–7
2006 Sherri Coale Baylor 72–61 Dallas, Texas Big 12 31–5 16–0
2007 Sherri Coale Iowa State 67–60 Oklahoma City, OK Big 12 28–5 13–3
Conference tournament championships 4

NCAA tournament history edit

The Sooners reached the NCAA tournament and Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 1986. In 1995, Oklahoma made their second trip to the tourney, falling in the second round.

After another break, the Sooners made their third appearance in the 1999–2000 season, and have become a mainstay in the tournament since then, entering the field of 64 every year since. In that time period, the Sooners have reached three Final Four appearances, which is tied for 9th in NCAA Women's Basketball History. Since 2002, the Sooners' first appearance, their three appearances ties them for fifth, behind Tennessee (6), Connecticut (5), Stanford (5) and Louisiana State (5).

Year by year results edit

Conference tournament winners noted with # Source [4]

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Coaches' poll AP poll
Amy Dahl (Independent) (1974–1975)
1974–75 Amy Dahl 2–14 OAIAW
Amy Dahl: 2–14
Cathie Schweitzer (Independent) (1976–1979)
1975–76 Cathie Schweitzer 3–14 OAIAW
1976–77 Cathie Schweitzer 4–20 OAIAW
1977–78 Cathie Schweitzer 20–12 SWAIAW
Cathie Schweitzer: 27–46
Doyle Parrick (Independent) (1979–1981)
1978–79 Doyle Parrick 13–16 SWAIAW
1979–80 Doyle Parrick 17–16 OAIAW
Doyle Parrick: 30–32
Maura McHugh (Independent, Big 8) (1980–1987)
1980–81 Maura McHugh 21–11 SWAIAW
1981–82 Maura McHugh 17–14
Big Eight Conference
1982–83 Maura McHugh 17–11 7–7
1983–84 Maura McHugh 22–10 8–6 NWIT Sixth Place
1984–85 Maura McHugh 23–7 10–4
1985–86 Maura McHugh 24–7 10–4 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen 18 19
1986–87 Maura McHugh 18–10 6–8
Maura McHugh: 142–70 41–29
Valerie Goodwin-Colbert (Big 8) (1988–1991)
1987–88 Valerie Goodwin-Colbert 14–13 7–7
1988–89 Valerie Goodwin-Colbert 11–16 4–10
1989–90 Valerie Goodwin-Colbert 7–22 2–12
Valerie Goodwin-Colbert: 32–51 13–29
Gary Hudson (Big 8) (1990–1993)
1990–91 Gary Hudson 10–18 4–9
1991–92 Gary Hudson 17–12 7–7
1992–93 Gary Hudson 12–15 6–8
Gary Hudson: 39–45 17–24
Burl Plunkett (Big 8) (1993–1996)
1993–94 Burl Plunkett 18–12 7–7 NWIT Champions
1994–95 Burl Plunkett 22–9 11–3 NCAA Second Round
1995–96 Burl Plunkett 12–15 4–10
Burl Plunkett: 52–36 22–20
Big 12 Conference
Sherri Coale (Big 12) (1996–2021)
1996–97 Sherri Coale 5–22 1–15 12th
1997–98 Sherri Coale 8–19 4–12 T-9th
1998–99 Sherri Coale 15–14 8–8 T-5th WNIT Sixteen
1999–2000 Sherri Coale 25–8 13–3 T-1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen 13 18
2000–01 Sherri Coale 28–6 15–1 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen 10 7
2001–02 Sherri Coale 32–4 14–2 1st# NCAA Runner-Up 2 2
2002–03 Sherri Coale 19–13 9–7 T-5th NCAA First Round
2003–04 Sherri Coale 24–9 9–7 6th# NCAA Second Round 18 11
2004–05 Sherri Coale 17–13 8–8 T-6th NCAA First Round
2005–06 Sherri Coale 31–5 16–0 1st# NCAA Sweet Sixteen 8 7
2006–07 Sherri Coale 28–5 13–3 T-1st# NCAA Sweet Sixteen 9 9
2007–08 Sherri Coale 22–9 11–5 T-3rd NCAA Second Round 19 14
2008–09 Sherri Coale 32–5 15–1 1st NCAA Final Four 4 4
2009–10 Sherri Coale 27–11 11–5 T-2nd NCAA Final Four 3 12
2010–11 Sherri Coale 23–12 10–6 T-3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen 15 21
2011–12 Sherri Coale 21–13 11–7 T-2nd NCAA Second Round
2012–13 Sherri Coale 24–11 11–7 T-3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2013–14 Sherri Coale 18–15 9–9 T-5th NCAA First Round
2014–15 Sherri Coale 21–12 13–5 2nd NCAA Second Round
2015–16 Sherri Coale 22–11 11–7 T-4th NCAA Second Round
2016–17 Sherri Coale 23–10 13–5 3rd NCAA Second Round
2017–18 Sherri Coale 16–15 11–7 T-3rd NCAA First Round
2018–19 Sherri Coale 8-22 4–14 T-8th
2019–20 Sherri Coale 12-18 5–13 9th
2020–21 Sherri Coale 12-12 9–8 6th
Sherri Coale: 513–294 254–165
Jennie Baranczyk (Big 12) (2021–present)
2021–22 Jennie Baranczyk 25-9 12–6 4th NCAA Second Round 22 21
2022–23 Jennie Baranczyk 26-7 14–4 T-1st NCAA Second Round 17 16
2023–24 Jennie Baranczyk 23-10 15–3 1st NCAA Second Round 20 22
Jennie Baranczyk: 74-26 41-13
Total: 911–614

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

NCAA tournament results edit

The Sooners have appeared in 22 NCAA tournaments, with a record of 34–22.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1986 (4) Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(5) Vanderbilt
(1) Texas
W 86–67
L 59−85
1995 (7) First Round
Second Round
(10) Loyola (MD)
(2) Louisiana Tech
W 90−55
L 36–48
2000 (5) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(12) BYU
(4) Purdue
(1) Connecticut
W 86–81
W 76–74
L 80–102
2001 (2) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(15) Oral Roberts
(10) Stanford
(6) Washington
W 70–64
W 67–50
L 67–84
2002 (1) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
Title Game
(16) Hartford
(9) Villanova
(4) Texas Tech
(3) Colorado
(1) Duke
(1) Connecticut
W 84–52
W 66–53
W 72–62
W 94–60
W 86–71
L 70–82
2003 (10) First Round (7) George Washington L 61–71
2004 (3) First Round
Second Round
(14) Marist
(6) Stanford
W 58−45
L 43–68
2005 (8) First Round (9) Arizona L 69–72
2006 (2) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(15) Pepperdine
(7) BYU
(3) Stanford
W 78–66
W 86–70
L 74–88
2007 (3) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(14) SE Missouri State
(6) Marquette
(7) Ole Miss
W 74–60
W 78–47
L 82–90
2008 (4) First Round
Second Round
(13) Illinois State
(5) Notre Dame
W 69−61
L 75–79 (OT)
2009 (1) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
(16) Prairie View A&M
(9) Georgia Tech
(4) Pittsburgh
(6) Purdue
(3) Louisville
W 76–47
W 69–50
W 70–59
W 74–68
L 59–61
2010 (3) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
(14) South Dakota State
(11) Arkansas–Little Rock
(2) Notre Dame
(4) Kentucky
(1) Stanford
W 68–57
W 60–44
W 77–72 (OT)
W 88–68
L 66–73
2011 (6) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(11) James Madison
(3) Miami (FL)
(2) Notre Dame
W 86–72
W 88–83
L 53–78
2012 (6) First Round
Second Round
(11) Michigan
(3) St. John's
W 88−67
L 70–74
2013 (6) First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
(11) Central Michigan
(3) UCLA
(2) Tennessee
W 78–73
W 85–72
L 59–74
2014 (10) First Round (7) DePaul L 100–104
2015 (5) First Round
Second Round
(12) Quinnipiac
(4) Stanford
W 111−84
L 76–86
2016 (6) First Round
Second Round
(11) Purdue
(3) Kentucky
W 61−45
L 58–79
2017 (6) First Round
Second Round
(11) Gonzaga
(3) Washington
W 75−62
L 82–108
2018 (12) First Round (5) DePaul L 79–90
2022 (4) First Round
Second Round
(13) IUPUI
(5) Notre Dame
W 78–72
L 64–108
2023 (5) First Round
Second Round
(13) Portland
(4) UCLA
W 85–63
L 73–82
2024 (5) First Round
Second Round
(12) Florida Gulf Coast
(4) Indiana
W 73–70
L 68–75

NCAA tournament seeding history edit

The following lists where the Sooners have been seeded in the NCAA tournament.[5]

Years → '86 '95 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13 '14 '15 '16 '17 '18 '22 '23 '24
Seeds → 4 7 5 2 1 10 3 8 2 3 4 1 3 6 6 6 10 5 6 6 12 4 5 5

References edit

  1. ^ "Colors – OU Brand Guide". April 20, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  2. ^ SoonerSports.com. When It Was Dropped. OU Women's Basketball 2006 Media Guide. University of Oklahoma. Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
  3. ^ "2016–18 regional hosts". Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  4. ^ "Media Guide". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 10 Aug 2013.
  5. ^ "2022–23 Oklahoma Sooners Women's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). University of Oklahoma Athletics. p. 94. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

External links edit

  • Official website