Meet the Oklahoma Sooners

Women’s basketball will begin NCAA tournament play in a first-round matchup against Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

The Sooners come out of a talented Big-12 Conference that features the No. 1 team in the country, Baylor, among other talented teams like Iowa State and West Virginia.

“I’ve seen them; I’ve watched a lot of basketball,” said CMU head coach Sue Guevara. “They got good size, good guards, they’re a Big-12 team, and the Big-12 is big.”

Oklahoma finished with a 22-10 overall record, and an 11-7 conference record coming in at No. 3 in the conference behind the Bears and Cyclones.

One of the leaders for the Sooners is junior guard Aaryn Ellenberg. Ellenberg finished No. 3 in the Big-12 in scoring average (18.5 points per game) behind Baylor’s senior forward Brittney Griner (23.6) and Kansas State senior guard Brittany Chambers (20.3). She also led the Big-12 in three-point shooting percentage (.415) and three-point shots made (3.22).

Some other players to watch for are senior forward Joanna McFarland and junior guard Morgan Hook.

McFarland leads her team and is No. 2 in the conference in rebounds per game, averaging 10 rebounds per game.

McFarland is a low post force for Oklahoma, and, was Kansas Player of the Year coming out of high school and was a part of the Academic All-Big-12 team last season.

At point guard, Hook runs the Sooner offense. She leads her team with over five assists per game and is No. 5 in the conference in assists per game.

As a team, Oklahoma has a dangerous offense. The Sooners scored 100 or more points twice, with their highest scoring output of the season coming when they beat Oklahoma Christian 118-53.

It also scored 80 or more points six times, giving them the No. 3 offense in the conference behind Baylor and Oklahoma State.

The Sooners offensive output comes from success from almost every aspect of shooting. They are No. 1 in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (.370) and No. 2 in three-point field goals made (7.72).

In addition to effective shooting from the field, Oklahoma also takes advantage of trips to the free-throw line. Shooting at around 73 percent, finishing at No. 3 in the conference in free-throw percentage.

Defensively, Oklahoma is not quite as strong. The Sooners finished No. 9 in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 66 points per game. But they did finish No. 5 in field goal percentage defense (.381) and No. 3 in three-point field percentage defense (.291).

The Chippewas are able to upset the Oklahoma, they will face either No. 3 UCLA or No. 14 Stetson on Monday for spot in the Sweet 16.