Everything Oklahoma WBB head coach Jennie Baranczyk said after loss to South Carolina

Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk spoke to the media following the team’s 101-60 loss to South Carolina women’s basketball on Sunday. Here’s everything she had to say.

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On what Baranczyk will tell Oklahoma’s players after the game

“One of the things I think that you can’t underestimate is playing here. That’s why you want to be in this league – so that this the first time that you play them is not in the NCAA Tournament. You want to be able to learn about your team and to learn about the mental aspect, the physical aspect, all the things that you got to do to get better. So, we have choice to make now – we can either get better, or we can not.

“No matter what we do, we’re going to do it together. That’s something that our culture is. That’s something that our team is all about. But, no, today is a hard day, but it also can be a major turning point for you to look in the mirror and grow up and get better. But let’s also not underestimate, really, how good South Carolina is, as well.”

On Raegan Beers’ slow start in the first half

“Part of it was that we really did a great job of passing to them instead of to Raegan (Beers). And I’m not discrediting them, but the only reason I’m taking the question is because we didn’t do a good job of being able to get her the ball in the first half. I thought we had to make that adjustment at halftime. We tried to make that adjustment, and in the first half, we just didn’t do a great job of that.”

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On South Carolina’s suffocating defense

“I think with them, it’s not just, ‘Can you score?’ It’s also, ‘Can you guard?’ So, when you’re stretched out on one end, I mean, they shoot the ball really well. And that’s something you try to pick your poison with them. You can’t just pack the paint – you got to be able to pack the paint, guard one-on-one. If you start doubling, then they pick you apart, and they can shoot from the outside. So, it really starts on that end.

“For us, I feel like, especially in the first quarter, we had some shots at the rim that didn’t go in. And when you’re here, and you’re on the road, and you’re playing against a team like that, we have to be able to convert those to be able to even hang in there. So, I feel like they’re really challenging not just because their defense stifles you, but because their offense makes you work. And you have to work on both ends.”

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On how much Oklahoma can learn from playing high-ranked SEC opponents like South Carolina

“I know the program can learn. I don’t know if it’s fair for me to come up here and give you a cliché and tell you how good we’re going be and everything else. It takes guts to be able to fall completely on your face on national TV in front of this crowd. They beat us bad, and they’re really, really good. They’re who all of us are looking at in terms of being able to build the depth that they have, the culture they have, the crowd. This is, right now, the example in women’s basketball.

“So, this is where I don’t want to go. It’s a process, and you got to figure it all out. You got to get up, and you got to roll up your sleeves. But if we can look in the mirror, and you can grow, then you get better. And if you don’t, then life’s going to continue to teach us the same lesson. So, we have to make a choice.

“We talk a lot about a lot of things, just like a lot of teams talk about a lot of things. But, until things hurt bad enough for you to change and do them, then you don’t grow. I’m extremely optimistic, as you know – I’m somebody that believes in the team more than anybody could ever believe in a team, probably to a fault. So, I believe we can completely bounce back from this. But also, I’m excited to see how we step on the floor tomorrow in practice.”

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