Oklahoma head coach considers South Carolina 'the example in women’s basketball'
Shortly after the buzzer sounded, Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk found herself in a situation that most of South Carolina’s opponents have experienced this season. Baranczyk, facing members of the media, had to give the Gamecocks their flowers after another dominant performance.
The Sooners had hovered around the top 10 of national rankings for the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign. A win over UNLV in late November pushed Oklahoma to No. 8 in the AP poll, its highest position this season. It went into Sunday’s matchup against South Carolina in the No. 13 spot.
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But a team that previously had an average point differential of +23.4 was ultimately no match for the Gamecocks, though. South Carolina took the lead on its first offensive possession and, although the score was tied briefly in the early stages of the first quarter, never let it go. The Gamecocks went on to score a season-high 101 points – the most points the Sooners had allowed in regulation this year.
After the game, Baranczyk admitted facing South Carolina made it a “hard day.” She, however, made sure to extend praise to a program that has received lots of it from opposing coaches.
“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,” Baranczyk said. “This is, right now, the example in women’s basketball.”
The Gamecocks have given Baranczyk, and other opponents, plenty of reasons to think this way. Over the last two seasons, South Carolina has played in 57 combined regular season and postseason games. It has only lost one of them – to UCLA, the team currently ranked No. 1 in the AP poll.
This year, the Gamecocks rank in the top 15 nationally in points scored (82.7, 12th) and allowed (55.1, 15th). The team has also spread the wealth offensively, as five players – Joyce Edwards, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Te-Hina Paopao, Tessa Johnson and Chloe Kitts – average at least nine points per game.
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Playing time has been spread out between them, too. These five players, in addition to five more, average more than 15 minutes per game.
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“With them, it’s not just, ‘Can you score?’ It’s also, ‘Can you guard?’ When you’re stretched out on one end, they shoot the ball really well. That’s something you try to pick your poison with them,” Baranczyk said. “You can’t just pack the paint. You got to be able to pack the paint (and) guard one-on-one. If you start doubling, then they pick you apart. They can shoot from the outside.”
Off the court, South Carolina frequently sees five-figure crowds flock to Colonial Life Arena on game days. The Gamecocks oftentimes also find a passionate contingent of fans traveling to away matchups, too.
The combination of these aspects makes the South Carolina women’s basketball program one to look up to in the eyes of its opponents. And for these coaches and players, every matchup against the Gamecocks provides them with a valuable learning opportunity, Baranczyk said.
“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,” Baranczyk said. “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.”
