OU women’s basketball preview: Jennie Baranczyk’s team is embracing high expectations

Jennie Baranczyk and the OU women’s basketball team are entering the 2024-25 season with the highest expectations in over a decade.

The Sooners are ranked No. 10 in the country, marking the first time since 2010 that they’re ranked in the preseason AP top 10. Now in her fourth season at OU, Baranczyk has re-ignited the women’s basketball program, winning back-to-back Big 12 titles. 

And now, with the best team she’s ever coached, she’s hoping her team can live up to the high expectations.

“This is a team that — we don’t feel any pressure,” Baranczyk said. “We don’t go, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re ranked so high, what are we going to do?’ No, we’re gonna love harder every single day. And when we can keep that space sacred when they come in and just play, imagine how good we can be. That’s my favorite part of my job.

“I’d rather be a target than sit there and tell them that they’re the underdog. We’re Oklahoma. We don’t get to be an underdog.”

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s team, which will start its 2024-25 campaign Monday at 5 p.m. against Southern. 

A veteran squad

OU returns over 90% of its productions from last season. The veteran team is led by five seniors: Nevaeh Tot, Payton Verhulst, Lexy Keys, Skylar Vann and Liz Scott. That’s in addition to sophomore Sahara Williams, who started all 33 games last year for the Sooners. 

For Baranczyk, having an experienced squad has made her job easier in some ways and difficult in others.

“We’re going to have a really hard time putting combinations together, just like we have a lot of seasons,” Baranczyk. “You’re going to see a lot of different things throughout the non-con of us trying to navigate where to put different people and what kind of lineups we want to have. But that’s a really fun challenge, too. It’s one that a veteran team can handle. They can handle playing one another strengths.

“There’s not enough minutes in a game for everybody to play as much as they should play. But when you have an ultimate goal to maximize your potential and you really love and care about each other, then you know what? Some nights some people’s number is going to be called a little more than others. And we’re OK with that.”

Adding Beers

Maybe the biggest storyline heading into the season for the Sooners is the addition of Oregon State transfer Raegan Beers. The 6-foot-4 center was considered the best player in the transfer portal, choosing OU over UConn. 

“We knew that she would obviously help us on the interior,” Baranczyk said. “And yet I don’t think we knew if she could play the pace that we wanted to play, right? We knew that she could, but you got to see her run, you got to see her lead the break and some of those things. She can stretch the floor. But I think what she brings is a great leadership. It’s less about what she can necessarily do at the basket — we’re still trying to navigate everything that we can do with her. I think what the team has really gotten to see is that we’re not changing everything. We’re still running the same system. She just looks different in it.”

Scott’s return

Something that has gone under the radar heading into this season is the return of Liz Scott. The redshirt senior missed all of last season with a shoulder injury. Her presence in the paint was a huge loss in 2023-24. Prior to her injury, she posted 15 games of double-digit points and five 10-plus rebounding games as a junior. 

“I feel a lot stronger, I feel healthier, more stable,” Scott said. “Last year was tough for me, but I just tried to find ways to help the team any way I could. Definitely excited to be back on the court with them this year.”

OU 2024-25 schedule 

Oklahoman’s non-conference schedule isn’t the most daunting in the country. But its conference schedule is. OU will face No. 1 South Carolina and No. 7 LSU on the road, while hosting No. 4 Texas at home. 

Here is the Sooners’ full schedule:

• Nov. 4: Southern, 5 p.m., SEC Network+
• Nov. 8: Virginia, 8 p,m., SEC Network
• Nov. 13: Western Carolina, 10:30 a.m., SEC Network+
• Nov. 19: at Wichita State, 6 p.m.
• Nov. 22: at UNLV, 8:30 p.m. 
• Nov. 25: vs. DePaul (Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas), 4:30 p.m., FloHoops
• Nov. 27: vs. Duke/Kansas State, (Ball Dawgs Classic), TBA, FloHoops
• Dec. 4: at Louisville (SEC/ACC Challenge), 4 p.m., ESPN2
• Dec. 8: Alabama State, 1:30 p.m., SEC Network+
• Dec. 15: Oral Roberts, 1:30 p.m., SEC Network+
• Dec. 17: vs. Michigan (at Charlotte , N.C.), 8:30 p.m., ESPN2
• Dec. 22: Omaha, 3 p.m., SEC Network+
• Dec. 29: New Mexico State, 4 p.m., SEC Network+
• Jan. 2: Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN2
• Jan. 5: at Tennessee, 2 p.m., ESPN
• Jan. 9: at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network+
• Jan. 12: Texas A&M, 4 p.m., SEC Network
• Jan. 16: Missouri, 6 p.m., SEC Network+
• Jan. 19: at South Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
• Jan. 26: Georgia, 1:30 p.m., SEC Network+
• Jan. 30: at LSU, 6 p.m., ESPN2
• Feb. 2: Kentucky, 3 p.m., SEC Network
• Feb. 6: at Ole Miss, 6:30 p.m., SEC Network+
• Feb. 10: Auburn, 7 p.m., SEC Network
• Feb. 16: at Missouri, 1 p.m., SEC Network
• Feb. 20: Vanderbilt, 6 p.m., SEC Network+
• Feb. 23: at Arkansas, 2 p.m., SEC Network+
• Feb. 27: at Florida, 6 p.m., SEC Network+
• March 2: Alabama, 1:30 p.m., SEC Network+