Kentucky WBB will face Oklahoma in SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday

With Thursday’s win over Georgia, the Oklahoma Sooners have locked up a spot in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinals. The prize? A shot at Kenny Brooks and the Kentucky Wildcats.

5-seed Oklahoma had little issue taking down 12-seed Georgia during second round action in Greenville, SC, coming out with a 70-52 win. That victory for OU sets up a matchup tomorrow with 4-seed Kentucky. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. The winner of that quarterfinal showdown will advance to the semifinals on Saturday against the winner of 8-seed Vanderbilt vs. 1-seed South Carolina.

Kentucky and Oklahoma have gone head-to-head once already this season, a 95-86 win for the Wildcats in Norman on Feb. 2. As some might remember, that was the game Georgia Amoore tied a single-game program record with 43 points. The Sooners have not lost since then, winning eight straight contests. That being said, only one of those victories came against a ranked opponent (No. 20 Alabama).

Oklahoma defeats Georgia 70-52, setting up a rematch with Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. ET tomorrow on ESPN.

Georgia Amoore scored a program-record 43 points against the Sooners in Kentucky's 95-86 win in Norman.

— Phoenix Stevens (@PStevensKSR) March 6, 2025

Brooks and company will have their hands full against Oklahoma, which leads the SEC in points (82.6) and rebounds (39.8) per contest. But the Sooners aren’t a great outside shooting team (31.8 percent against SEC competition) and turn the ball over more than anyone else in the conference at 19.9 turnovers per game.

6-foot-2 forward Raegan Beers is the one to watch. She averages 17.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per SEC game while shooting an impressive 67.4 percent from the field. Most of her buckets come around the paint. Beers went for 22 points and eight rebounds against Georgia. Kentucky has plenty of size down low to combat her though, headlined by SEC Defensive Player of the Year Clara Strack and her league-leading 2.5 blocks per outing.

But 6-foot-1 guard Payton Verhulst is even more dangerous as a scorer. While not as efficient as Beers, she accounts for more shots than any of her teammates. Verhulst, a former Louisville Cardinal, is averaging 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.5 steals per SEC game. 6-foot forward Sahar Williams is the Sooners’ third and final double-digit scorer at 10.7 points per SEC outing.

We should be in for a great game tomorrow afternoon at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.