WBB Game Preview: Sooners Meet Texas in Austin for Top-10 Battle

Sunday, February 1

Moody Center • Austin, Texas

2 PM

University of Oklahoma

Texas

NORMAN, OK - January 22, 2026 - Oklahoma Forward Sahara Williams (#6) during the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Oklahoma Sooners at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK. Photo By Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

Photo by: Brendall Vargas/University of Oklahoma

WBB Game Preview: Sooners Meet Texas in Austin for Top-10 Battle

January 31, 2026 | Women's Basketball

By: OU Athletics Communications

NORMAN — No. 10 Oklahoma (17-4, 5-3 SEC) is set for its fifth top-10 test of the season, facing No. 4 Texas (20-2, 5-2 SEC) on Sunday at Moody Center.

Tipoff in Austin is set for 2 p.m. CT on ABC with Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter) on the call. Fans can listen on the Sooner Sports Radio Network (107.7 FM) with Brian Brinkley and Tyler Neal, or in Spanish on Los Sooners Radio (1560 AM) with Luis Rendon, with both broadcasts streaming on the Varsity App. Prior to tip, ESPN's College GameDay will air live from Austin from 11 a.m. to noon CT.

While Oklahoma's offense often draws the spotlight, the Sooner defense has been the engine behind this season's success. OU leads the nation in opponent field goal percentage (32.4%) and ranks sixth nationally in defensive rating at 78.6 points allowed per 100 possessions. The Sooners hold opponents 12.0 points below their scoring average and 11.1% below their season field goal percentage, while allowing just 22.1 paint points per game, 11th in the NCAA. Oklahoma pressures teams at every level, forcing nearly 11 steals per game and ranking 14th nationally in blocks (5.8 per game). Only three teams this season, Florida State, NC State (in OT) and Auburn, have scored above their season scoring average against OU.

FAN INFORMATION AND HOW TO FOLLOW

Tickets for the game in Austin are still available through the UT ticket office. The game will air on ABC and on the Sooner Sports Radio Network.

Fans can follow live stats throughout the game.

(10) Oklahoma at (4) Texas
Date: Sunday, Feb. 1
Tip Time: 2:00 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas
Arena: Moody Arena

WATCH
LIVE STATS
GAME NOTES

LAST TIME OUT

No. 10 Oklahoma (17-4, 5-3 SEC) rolled past Texas A&M, 85-58, on Thursday night at Lloyd Noble Center to win its third straight game and extend its streak to 24 consecutive wins against unranked opponents. After the Aggies (8-9, 1-7 SEC) opened the game on a 5-0 run and held an early 12-8 lead, the Sooners responded with a dominant 33-8 surge over the next nearly 13 minutes to build a 24-point advantage. OU led by 19 at the break and continued to pull away in the third quarter, jumping out to a 57-30 lead to force a Texas A&M timeout. The Sooners outscored the Aggies by nine in the third quarter to help secure the 27-point win, their second-largest margin in SEC play this season.

Five Sooners scored in double figures as OU improved to 9-0 this season when at least five players reach 10+ points. Payton Verhulst led the way with 16 points, followed by Aaliyah Chavez with 14. Raegan Beers and Sahara Williams added 12 apiece, while Caya Smith chipped in 11 off the bench. On the offensive end, OU caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down 12 of its 23 3-point attempts (52.2%). It marked the first time the Sooners made at least 12 threes while shooting 50% or better from deep since hitting 13 at a 62% clip against West Virginia on Feb. 17, 2024.

THE FAST BREAK

• Starting fast is critical for the Sooners, who are 16-1 when leading after the first quarter and 15-0 when ahead at halftime in 2025-26. Over the last two seasons, OU is 37-1 when leading at the break, with the lone loss coming in the 2025 Sweet 16 against Connecticut after a 36-32 halftime lead. Since Jennie Baranczyk took over in 2021, Oklahoma is 3-4 against Texas, trailing at the half in all four losses and leading at the break in two of the three wins.

• The Sooners are 2-4 against ranked opponents this season, highlighted by a 22-point win over then-No. 23 Oklahoma State and a 94-82 overtime victory against No. 2 South Carolina on Jan. 22. Sunday's top-10 matchup marks just the second such meeting between Oklahoma and Texas, joining the 2025 contest in Norman won by the Longhorns. Oklahoma will look to secure its first true road win against a top-four team since a victory at then-No. 4 Baylor in 2009.

• Oklahoma has established itself as one of the nation's premier offensive teams, ranking third nationally at 88.9 points per game, a pace that would shatter the program record of 84.7 set last season. The Sooners' starting five is among the best in the country, ranking second nationally at 69.5 points per game with all five starters averaging double figures. Oklahoma ranks near the top nationally in several categories, including pace (78.3, 1st), scoring offense (88.9, 3rd), second-chance points (17.1, 4th), fast-break points (17.8, 5th), assists (21.1, 4th), paint points (44.2, 7th) and offensive rating (110.6, 23rd).

• The four McDonald's All-Americans in OU's starting lineup are the program's most in a season since 2017-18. The Sooners are one of nine teams in the country have had the same starting five in every game this season.

• Raegan Beers, Oklahoma's All-American and All-SEC center, has continued her dominance in the paint and solidified herself as one of the nation's top players. She scores 16.3 points per game on 59.8% shooting and adds 10.7 rebounds per game. In 21 games, she has recorded 15 double-doubles (leads NCAA), including seven with 20 points.

SERIES HISTORY

One of the best rivalries in college sports returns Sunday, as Oklahoma and Texas meet for the 70th installment of the Red River Rivalry, with the two programs having faced off at least once every season since 1997. Texas holds a 40-29 all-time series advantage, while Oklahoma is 3-4 against the Longhorns under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. Two of those three wins came in 2023-24, when the Sooners swept Texas on the way to a Big 12 title. The last three meetings have all been decided by single digits.

Sunday's matchup marks just the second Red River Rivalry meeting with both teams ranked in the AP Top 10, joining last season's clash in Norman between then-No. 5 Texas and No. 9 Oklahoma. The last time the Sooners played in Austin (Jan. 24, 2024), they scored 91 points and edged Texas by four. Payton Verhulst led OU with 18 points, while Sahara Williams added 15, as the Sooners posted the most points Texas has allowed at home during the Schaefer era.

UP NEXT

The Sooners get their second off week of conference play before traveling to Nashville to take on No. 5 Vanderbilt on Monday, Feb. 9 on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. CT.