WBB Game Preview: Sooners Host Southern Nazarene for Exhibition

NORMAN — Oklahoma women's basketball fans can get their first glimpse of the 21st-ranked Sooners on Sunday afternoon when they host Southern Nazarene for an exhibition game at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.

Tipoff is set for 2 p.m., and admission is free. After the game, fans can pick up the official team poster and meet the Sooners for postgame autographs. With Halloween approaching, fans are encouraged to wear their costumes and join the trick-or-treating on the concourse.

Fresh off back-to-back Sweet 16s, Oklahoma returns seven players from last season's team, including ESPN National Freshman of the Year Aaliyah Chavez and FIBA 3x3 gold medalist Sahara Williams. Five additional returners who saw action in 2025-26 join a seven-player newcomer class featuring three freshmen and four transfers.

FAN INFORMATION

Sunday's exhibition will not be televised or streamed on SEC Network+, but fans can tune in to Brian Brinkley and Carolyn Baker on the Sooner Radio Network (1520 AM – OKC).

Admission is free, and fans in attendance can pick up the official OU Women's Basketball poster and get it autographed after the game.

Doors open at 1 p.m. CT. The Lloyd Noble Center A-Z Guide is available online.

THE FAST BREAK

• Under Baranczyk, Oklahoma is 5-0 in exhibition play, winning by an average of 62.0 points, including a 106-41 victory over Oklahoma Christian last year.

• The Sooners made their second straight Sweet 16 last season and 26-8, marking its fifth straight 20-win campaign under Jennie Baranczyk, who has reached that milestone in 11 of her last 12 seasons and every season in Norman.

• Oklahoma opens the season ranked No. 21 in both the AP and WBCA preseason polls. The Sooners were picked to finish sixth in the SEC while Aaliyah Chavez (1st Team) and Sahara Williams (2nd Team) were chosen as preseason All-SEC selections.

• Oklahoma is 1-1 all-time against the Crimson Storm as the teams split meetings in 1974 and 1975.

• The SEC has posted impressive non-conference records in the last decade. In regular season games, the SEC has compiled a 6372-1814 (.778) record against other conferences. In the post season, SEC teams are 597-312 (.657) against non-conference teams. Overall, teams are 6969-2126 (.766).

UP NEXT

Oklahoma opens its 2026-27 campaign Nov. 2 against North Carolina at Oui-Play Paris in Paris, France. The season opener tips off at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Before heading overseas, the Sooners will host Southern Nazarene in a free exhibition Oct. 25 at Lloyd Noble Center. The exhibition will not be broadcast.