Oklahoma Travels to Face No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday

NORMAN – Oklahoma's fifth top-25 matchup of the season takes place Sunday as the No. 9 Sooners (12-2, 0-1 SEC) visit No. 15 Tennessee (13-0, 1-0 SEC) for the program's first-ever SEC road game. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, with national coverage on ESPN.

Tip is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN with Courtney Lyle and Rebecca Lobo calling the action, and the game will air on 107.7 FM The Franchise with Brian Brinkley on the call. It is OU's first game on ESPN of the Baranczyk era.

The Sooners enter Sunday's contest ranked No. 11 in the latest NET rankings, while the Lady Vols sit at No. 19.

THE STARTING FIVE

Sunday's game promises to be one of the fastest-paced matchups of the season, with Oklahoma ranked 5th nationally in pace and Tennessee 3rd. The two teams combine to attempt just over 62 3-pointers per game, converting an average of 20.7. Both the Sooners and Lady Vols rank in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, with Tennessee leading the country at 98.2 points per game.
The Sooners are a perfect 3-0 on the road this season, highlighted by a ranked win over then-No. 22 Louisville. Their three-game road winning streak is the 15th longest in the nation. Under fourth-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, Oklahoma has posted a strong 28-11 record in true road games. The Sooners, who enter 0-1 in SEC play, have not started 0-2 in conference play since the 1998-99 season.
Sunday's game marks Oklahoma's second consecutive matchup against a top-15 opponent, following Thursday night's clash with No. 5 Texas in Norman. The Sooners haven't faced back-to-back top-15 teams since going 2-0 in a pair of top-10 matchups from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, 2022. Over the last decade of Sooner basketball, Oklahoma has played consecutive games against top-15 opponents just four times, including this week's challenge.
Oklahoma was picked to finish fourth in both the SEC media and coaches' preseason polls. In Coach Baranczyk's three seasons at OU, her teams have outperformed their preseason projections each time. Across her 12-year head coaching career (nine seasons at Drake and three at OU), Baranczyk's teams have met or exceeded preseason expectations in 10 seasons.
A win would mark Oklahoma's first ever SEC win and secure Baranczyk's 14th top-25 win as a Sooner.

LAST TIME OUT

Freshman Jordan Lee scored 17 points off the bench and No. 5 Texas rallied to defeat No. 9 Oklahoma 80-73 on Thursday night in the SEC opener for both teams. Rori Harmon scored 16 points, Taylor Jones added 14 points on 7-for-9 shooting and Kyla Oldacre had 12 points and seven rebounds for the Longhorns (14-1), who won their seventh straight game. Lee played 33 minutes and was 6 for 11 from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday marks the eighth meeting between the Sooners and Lady Vols, but just the second in the last decade. UT holds a decisive 6-1 series advantage, including a comeback three-point win last year over Oklahoma in Florida. The Sooners are 0-2 in Knoxville, with the last meeting coming in 2010.

All eight meetings between the two powerhouses have been ranked matchups.