SEC notebook: ‘Red River Rivalry’ of Oklahoma-Texas highlights start of league play 

Texas and Oklahoma will renew their annual rivalry for the first time in the SEC frontier and in a top-10 showdown in Norman, Okla. The bout between the two teams marks the first inside Lloyd Noble Center  in nearly 15 years. Despite joining the SEC ranks, the Longhorns and the Sooners were projected to finish among the league’s top four teams and have bolted to exceptional starts to the season. 

Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk and Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer are no strangers to each other, as they bring a wealth of experience and veteran players to the floor for Thursday’s game.

Raegan Beers, the Oregon State transfer, currently leads Oklahoma (12-1) in points (17.9) and rebounds (9.7), while shooting 69.3% from the floor, 12th best in the nation. Payton Verhulst, the former Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, is averaging 13.5 points per contest. Sahara Williams, another starter for the Sooners last season, sits third in scoring (11.1 ppg) on the roster while Skylar Vann — the former Big 12 Player of the Year — sits fourth on the team in scoring with 11.0 points.

With the addition of the 6’4 Beers, it has allowed other contributors in the rotation including Liz Scott — who dealt with injury last season — in the paint and Vann to play more in their natural positions. Players like guard Reyna Scott and forward Kiersten Johnson have been beneficial, as has Lexy Keys, who started each game last season in Norman but now comes off the bench to aid in the Sooners’ production off the bench, a unit that ranks eighth nationally (35.2 ppg). Then, the level of continuity between Verhulst and Williams has given Baranczyk a level of excitement for the duo as league play begins.

“We didn’t have that at the beginning of November,” Baranczyk said. “We didn’t have that a year ago.”

Baranczyk’s 14-player roster holds a total of 496 combined starts. That experience has been invaluable as the Sooners enter the contest tying their best start to the season since the 2006-07 campaign and rank among five teams that sit in the top 20 nationally in scoring offense (91.6 ppg, fifth), rebounding margin (+18.2, second), field goal percentage (48.5%, 16th) and field goal percentage defense (34%, 12th).

However, Baranczyk also told reporters that her team is still figuring out its depth and rotations.

“You can see that we’re still growing,” Baranczyk said. “Not only [do] we have a vast variety of skill sets, we have people that have shifted positions. … So you’re adding to what we had in the past.”

The Sooners are 2-1 against the Longhorns under Baranczyk’s regime and bring a 16-game home winning streak into Thursday’s clash, the eighth longest active winning streak in the country. Even more, Oklahoma is 3-0 in conference-opening games in Baranczyk’s tenure in Norman, defeating opponents by an average margin of 14.7 points per game.

Schaefer returns to the SEC after previously leading Mississippi State to two Final Four appearances in 2017 and 2018 before departing Starkville to travel west to Austin for the Longhorns’ job. Texas (13-1) enters the contest ranked third nationally in field goal percentage (50.1%), fourth in scoring offense (91.6), first in free throws made per game (19.5), eighth in offensive rebounds per game (17.2) and first in offensive rating (119.7).

Defensively, the Longhorns rank fourth nationally in turnover margin (12.21), No. 17 in scoring defense (allowing 54.6 ppg), sixth in defensive rating (71.5), ninth in steals (12.9) as well as 12th in blocks (5.8) per game.

Madison Booker leads the Longhorns in scoring (16.3 ppg) while shooting 51.9% from the floor, 87.5% from the free throw line and a whopping 48.1% from beyond the arc. Currently behind Booker sits Taylor Jones (11.6 ppg) and Kyla Oldacre (11.0 ppg). But like Oklahoma, Texas has a plethora of experience beyond the team’s leading scores that include veteran guards Rori Harmon (2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year) and Shay Holle (the glue to the Longhorns’ team) as well as forward Aaliyah Moore along with talented freshmen Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton. 

The Longhorns’ bench is averaging 39 points per game. Ten different Texas players have scored in double figures this season, and four different players have notched 20 or more points in a contest. 

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SEC news and notes 

South Carolina

The Gamecocks took care of business in their final nonconference game, dispatching Wofford 93-47 on Sunday. In the last three games, South Carolina (12-1) has been led in points by talented freshman Joyce Edwards, who has averaged 17 points over that stretch. Currently, Edwards is the second-leading scorer for the Gamecocks (11.0 ppg), while also having registered eight games where she has recorded double-digit point production; she’s also been consistently disruptive on the defensive side of the ball (tied for first in steals with 1.5 per game). The sharp shooting Te-Hina Paopao (11.4 ppg) and sophomore sensation MiLaysia Fulwiley (10.1 ppg) have added production off the bench. While much attention gets placed on Paopao for exceptional 3-point shooting (41.8% from beyond the arc), the veteran guard has increased her scoring presence in the paint (4.5 points) as well as in her mid-range game (2.2 points). 

As South Carolina enters SEC competition with a game on the road against Missouri on Thursday and a road contest against Mississippi State on Sunday, the Gamecocks still remain the team to beat. With the addition of Oklahoma and Texas —  a team that South Carolina plays twice this season —  Staley is up for the challenge.

“We’re fortunate in that we get to play Texas twice,” Staley said at SEC Tipoff in October. “We get to play Oklahoma, as well. Women’s basketball is at an all-time high. I’m excited to see how the teams that have been spread out over certain conferences, the Big Ten, the ACC, former Pac-12 members. I’d like to see how all that unfolds.”

As South Carolina begins its journey in seeking additional SEC titles and another national championship, it is worth noting that the Gamecocks have improved their ball movement in generating points (61.9% of field goals assisted over the last four games with 19.5 assists per game) as well as their bench play, a unit that has generated 51.3 percent of the team’s points this season. 

LSU 

The Tigers survived a slight scare in the first half against Albany before making a huge run in the second half to defeat the Great Danes 83-61 to cap nonconference action. As LSU enters SEC play at 15-0 — tied for its second-best start in program history — the Tigers are one of two teams (Tennessee) in the SEC and eight in D-I women’s college basketball teams in the nation to still be undefeated in the 2024-25 campaign.

LSU will kickoff SEC play on Thursday on the road against Arkansas before returning home on Sunday to face Auburn. A stat worth noting: When Kim Mulkey-led squads have started 15-0 in a season, those teams have gone on to cut down the nets as national champs in April. Mulkey captured a national title at Baylor in 2012 and a national championship at LSU in 2023 during those undefeated starts to the season. However, Mulkey knows what her team is facing each night in the SEC and its first league contest against the Razorbacks.

“Arkansas has the leading scorer in the SEC,” Mulkey said. “Every time you play someone in the SEC, it’s going to be a dogfight. If you keep fighting and you win enough of those dogfights, you’re going to be in a good position.”

It’s no question that LSU is stacked with talent featuring stars like Flau’Jae Johnson (20.5 ppg. No. 4 in SEC), Mikaylah Williams (16.5 ppg, 10th in the SEC), Aneesah Morrow, along with Kailyn Gilbert. However, to remain among the elite in an even more crowded SEC this season with the addition of Oklahoma and Texas, it will take each of them playing together, as well as key contributors off the bench like Sa’Myah Smith, Shayeann Day-Wilson and Jersey Wolfenbarger among others to carry out their respective roles. LSU enters SEC play at No. 2 in the nation in rebounds per game (50.3) and No. 3 in rebound margin (+17.6), crediting a lot of that success to Morrow, who leads the nation in rebounds (14.3) per game while averaging 18.4 points per game.

Tennessee 

The Volunteers (12-0) ended nonconference play with a 114-50 win against Winthrop to remain one of eight D-I women’s basketball teams that are still undefeated and one of two — LSU — in the SEC. Tennessee first-year head coach Kim Caldwell will kick off SEC play when her team goes on the road Thursday to face Texas A&M before returning home on Sunday to face Oklahoma. With a win on Thursday, UT would move to 13-0 for only the second time in the last 19 seasons while also marking the team’s seventh time to do so in program history. Despite Tennessee’s 11 different starting lineups in 12 games due to injuries, the Vols enter this game ranked first nationally in seven statistical categories that include scoring offense (98.8), 3-pointers per game (12.4), 3-point attempts per game (37.7), offensive rebounds per game (21.7), turnovers forced per game (27.58), turnover margin (13.25) and winning percentage (100.0). They are third in scoring margin (33.9) and steals per game (14.9) and sixth in bench points per game (36.6).

The Vols high-scoring offense does not come as a surprise, especially with a coach like Caldwell. In fact, the lowest output in points per game that was led by Caldwell was No. 4 in the country, dating back to her days at Marshall last season. Defensively, Tennessee had held its opponents from bringing the ball past halfcourt in 10 seconds on 15 different occasions through the first 12 games, another staple of Caldwell squads. The last time Tennessee lost an SEC season opener was Jan. 2, 2014 when the Vols lost to LSU, 80-77.

Kentucky 

The Wildcats enter 2025 with their ninth consecutive AP and USA Today poll rankings and an 88-70 victory against Western Kentucky to cap their nonconference action. Kentucky (11-1) opens SEC play against Mississippi State on Thursday and a road contest against Vanderbilt on Sunday. When the season began, there was a lot of skepticism around what the Wildcats would look like under first-year head coach Kenny Brooks, leading a team that lost three of its top scorers from last season to the portal and eight new transfers entering the program. So far, in a small window of games, the Wildcats have surprised some.

In the Wildcats’ 11 wins this season, they have won those games by at least 10 points while also recording the most wins (10) by at least 10 points prior to New Year’s Day since the program notched 12 in the 2018-19 campaign. Kentucky ranks in the top 35 nationally in offensive rating (108.4) and defensive rating (79.2), sixth in free throw percentage (80.4), ninth in 2-point percentage (56.8), first in blocks per game (7.8), 10th in defensive rebounds per game (30.4) and seventh in assists per game (19.9). This is a team that has 11 newcomers that includes five international players, 51 seasons of varsity status and four 1,000-point scorers. Kentucky is also a team with height, featuring eight players above 6’1 and three — Teonni Key, Clara Strack and Clara Silva  — who are 6’4 and above. 

Strack (16.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg), Key (11.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Amelia Hassett (11.1 ppg, 10.1 rpg) enter SEC play at or near averaging a double-double. In addition to the play of Georgia Amoore — the only NCAA Division I player man or woman to have at least 2,000 career points and 700 assists  —  the trio has been an integral part in the Wildcats’ success.

“We were starting to call them the triplets, those three, because they can get into a situation where they can switch, when they’re involved in anything, they can switch,” Brooks said after the Wildcats’ win against WKU. “Those three have formed a bond where they can be so versatile and do a lot of different things that help us out.”

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Alabama 

The Crimson Tide found themselves up one spot in the AP and USA Today polls entering this week after concluding their nonconference action with a 93-46 win against Jacksonville. While Alabama (13-1) was predicted to finish sixth in the SEC, the Crimson Tide are poised and motivated to exceed expectations this season much like it did a year ago under head coach Kristy Curry. Although Curry lost players to the transfer portal like Loyal McQueen and Meg Newman, the Crimson Tide haven’t missed a beat with transfers Curry brought in.

Alabama’s 13-1 mark is the best start to a season in program history. That’s a testament to the experience of the Crimson Tide’s returning players — leading scorer Sarah Ashlee Barker (16.1 ppg), sharpshooting Aaliyah Nye (14.9 while converting a team-best 45.6% from beyond the arc), Karly Weathers and Essence Cody (11.4, team-high 6.7 rpg while shooting 53.4% from the floor) — and transfers like former UAPB standout Zaay Green (15.6, team-high 4.3 apg while shooting a team-best 53.7% from the floor) and Ohio State product Diana Collins having outstanding seasons thus far. 

Nye is coming off SEC Player of the Week honors where she notched a career-high 30 points that included her shooting 75% from the floor, 80% from beyond the arc and from the charity stripe. Curry spoke highly of Green ahead of the season, and the former McDonald’s All-American fulfilling her role — along with others —  in Tuscaloosa will play a key role in how far this Crimson Tide team can go in late February and early March. 

Mississippi 

The Rebels capped their nonconference schedule on Monday with a 93-41 victory against Alcorn State. Ole Miss (9-3) begins SEC play on Thursday with a game on the road against Auburn and a road test against Texas A&M on Sunday. As no surprise, the Rebels have been one of the most elite defensive teams in the country, sitting at No. 1 in the country in opponents points (46.7) per game and defensive rating (66.7). But while most of the Rebels’ cache is associated defensively, the program also sits in the top 30 for points per game (79.9) and ranked No. 16 in offensive rating, per Her Hoop Stats.

The Rebels’ offense has been spread out with four players averaging double figure point totals in freshman and leading scorer Sira Thienou (12.3 ppg), Kennedy Todd-Williams (11.3), Madison Scott (10.9) and Starr Jacobs (10.4). Even more, the Rebels have depth — KK Deans and Tameiya Sadler — and a mixture of young and experienced players that should bode well for Ole Miss as Coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin seeks to get her team among the top four in the SEC and ultimately competing in Tampa at the Final Four in April.

Vanderbilt 

The Commodores are coming off a 93-64 victory against Alabama A&M on Sunday. Vanderbilt (13-1) enters SEC play with lots of confidence, as the Commodores quietly have been one of the most efficient teams on both sides of the ball in nonconference play, sitting at eighth nationally in points per game (88.6) and offensive rating (115.9) and No. 12 in defensive rating (73.5) through 14 games this season. However, those stats will be tested when the Commodores begin SEC play against Georgia on Thursday and a matchup against Kentucky on Sunday. Vanderbilt’s 13 nonconference wins— that includes wins against South Florida and Arizona — tied its record for the most wins entering league play. 

Commodores head coach Shea Ralph has laid the foundation of a winning culture after last season’s first round appearance in the NCAA tournament. This season, she expects more.

“This team should do better and do more than last season,” Ralph said after the Commodores’ victory against the Bulldogs on Sunday. “My job every day is to balance, making sure I hold them accountable in all the best ways to help them stay confident but also show them where our blind spots are and what can come up and bite us if we aren’t careful.”

It also helps that the Commodores have the fifth leading scorer in the nation in Khamil Pierre (22.7 ppg, also leads the team in rebounds and steals while shooting 59.4% from the floor), along with two other double digit scorers in Mikayla Blakes (19.2) and Iyana Moore (12.2).

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs completed nonconference action with a 95-47 victory against South Carolina State, putting together a five-game winning streak and their best start since the 2018-19 season. Mississippi State (13-1) begins SEC play with lots of optimism with games on the road against Kentucky on Thursday and a home game against South Carolina on Sunday. The Bulldogs open conference action with one of the better scoring offensive teams in the country, scoring 78.9 points per game (30th in the nation) and coming at 27th nationally in offensive rating (108.8), per Her Hoop Stats.

However, the Bulldogs calling card has been their stifling defense, which doesn’t come as a surprise when playing for a coach like Sam Purcell. Mississippi State ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense (51.9), eighth in defensive rating (71.7) and fourth in field goal percentage defense (32.2). The Bulldogs also rank 17th nationally and lead the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage defense (23.7). 

Four different Bulldog players are averaging double figures in points: Jerkaila Jordan (14.6), Eniya Russell (13.4), Madina Okot (13.1) and Debreasha Powe (10.1), who also leads the SEC and ranks ninth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (48.3). Keep an eye on the impact of Destiney McPhaul off the bench as well as the play of Denim DeShields, who is second on the team in assists (4.1) per game.

Auburn

The Tigers ended nonconference play with a loss against MEAC foe Norfolk State on Sunday. Auburn (9-4) has navigated injuries through nonconference play with the absence of Kaitlyn Duhon, Taylen Collins and Taliah Scott in the Tigers’ loss to the Spartans. However, when fully healthy, Auburn has the potential to be a dangerous team. Before the season started, Tigers head coach Johnnie Harris wanted to challenge her squad to ensure that the Tigers were ready for SEC play.

“It’s not going to help us to go out and play a cupcake schedule,” Harris said during SEC tipoff in October.

In Auburn’s four losses to Oregon, California, Kansas and most recently the Spartans, the combined average margin of loss was 3.25 points.

Auburn heads into conference play with a game against Ole Miss on Thursday and a contest on the road against LSU on Sunday. Currently, DeYona Gaston leads Auburn in scoring (21.5 ppg) rebounds (8.9) and blocks (1.8) while shooting 51.7% from the floor.

Florida

The Gators finished nonconference play with a 88-31 win on Sunday against Alabama State. Florida (9-5) will open SEC play on the road against Alabama before facing Georgia on Sunday. In the Gators five nonconference losses, four of them came in four consecutive games in the month of November. In December, head coach Kelly Rae Finley’s squad went 6-1, which includes a loss to North Carolina in that span. As SEC play begins, some consider the Gators a sleeper team with a talented roster stacked with three McDonald’s All-Americans — sophomore Laila Reynolds, Liv McGill (16.1 ppg and 5.3 apg, Gators leading scorer) and Me’Arah O’Neal — as well as veteran center Ra Shaya Kyle — who had a season-ending injury in January 2024 — (16.0 ppg shooting 65.9% from the field and 9.9 rpg) and veteran guard Jeriah Warren (13.3 ppg, third leading scorer).

Florida hasn’t had any trouble scoring this season, sitting at No. 24 in the country in points per game (81.1), 32nd in offensive rating, 16th in field goal percentage (48.2) as well as 19th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (29.4) and 21st in total rebounds per game (42.9). A win against the Crimson Tide would give Florida its first victory against a ranked opponent since Feb. 6 2022 and the program’s first win to start SEC play since 2014.

Missouri 

The Tigers are fresh off a 90-51 throttling of Jackson State in their final action of nonconference play. Missouri (11-4) enters SEC play on Thursday against the reigning national champs, South Carolina, before traveling south for a tough road matchup against Alabama on Sunday. The Tigers are among the top 35 teams in the nation in offensive rating (105.7) and net rating, according to Her Hoop Stats. Missouri is also one of the hottest teams beyond the arc this season, shooting 39.1% from 3-point range and 46.3% from the floor overall. That success comes from the play of three guards in Abbey Schreacke — who provides an offensive spark off the bench — Grace Slaughter and Ashton Judd. 

Currently, Schreacke is seventh in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage (38.8%) but second in 3 pointers made (38) this season. Slaughter leads the team in points (14.7) and 3-point field goal percentage (57.4), while Laniah Randle (11.5 ppg, team-best 6.7 rpg) and Judd (10.8) round out Missouri’s double digit scorers. Two other players to keep an eye on are sixth-year forward Angelique Ngalakulondi, who has started 13 of 15 games and New Mexico transfer Nyah Wilson, who has also started all but two games for the Tigers and is one of four players to average more than 20 minutes per game this season.

Texas A&M

The Aggies haven’t played a game in two weeks since defeating Mississippi Valley to conclude nonconference play. The break could be a blessing in disguise for Texas A&M (7-5) as they head into league play with contests against Tennessee on Thursday and Ole Miss on Sunday. In the Aggies last win, head coach Joni Taylor discussed how the team has progressed through the first couple months of the season in getting healthy and players sharing the basketball as the means to winning games.

“You can just tell that there was better flow and better continuity,” Taylor said after the Aggies’ win against MVSU. “We spent some of that time getting ourselves into better shape and that’s a reflection of more points, too.”

Seven different players have led Texas A&M in scoring through its first 12 games of the season. While the Aggies best player remains Aicha Coulibaly — who sits in the top three in points (12.1), rebounds (5.3), assists, steals and blocks for the program this season — other key players like Sahara Jones, Jada Malone and Kyndall Hunter (who hadn’t played in 960 days prior to this season due to injury). 

Jones, the veteran guard who has played in over 100 games, sits second on the team in points per game (11.3) while leading the program in rebounds (6.8) per game. Malone, who had not played in 612 days prior to the Aggies’ season opener, has been efficient this season, shooting 65.8% from the floor and is one of two players with multiple 20-point games this season.

“She [Malone] is so good at getting to her spot,” Taylor said in the postgame news conference after the Aggies last win. “Her timing is really good, and she is so strong once she seals and posts, it’s hard to move her and get around her. She’s got excellent hands, soft touch and knows when to score and when to pass it. When you have that combination, you want to feed her the ball.”

Keep an eye on Janae Kent, Lauren Ware and freshman Taliyah Parker as league play begins. It’s also worth noting that the Aggies split the series with the Vols last season and have won five of the last six meetings between the two teams at College Station. 

Georgia 

The Bulldogs will start SEC play with two road games against Vanderbilt on Thursday and Florida on Sunday. Georgia (8-6) ended nonconference play with an 83-50 victory against Ohio on Saturday. Injuries took a big toll on Georgia last season and the Bulldogs were hit by a key injury to freshman Mia Woolfolk after the Bulldogs first game of the season. However, after missing nine games before returning in mid-December, Woolfolk sits as UGA’s leading scorer (13.6 ppg) and is part of a talented freshmen class in Athens that has generated 40% of the team’s scoring this season and a team that sits fourth in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage.

In addition to Woolfolk, freshman Trinity Turner leads the team in minutes per game (32.3) and third in points (12.0) with junior De’Mauri Flournoy (12.6 ppg) as the Bulldogs second-leading scorer. In order for UGA to bounce back this season, Bulldogs head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said her squad would need to be healthy as well as receive quality veteran leadership from players like senior guard Asia Avinger (9.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) and fifth-year and former USC transfer Roxane Makolo, who is one of four players who have started in at least 12 of UGA’s 14 games. 

Arkansas

The Razorbacks kick off the first week of SEC play with two daunting matchups against two AP top 10 opponents in LSU before going on the road to face Texas on Sunday. Arkansas (7-8) snapped a three-game losing streak on Sunday, securing an 87-70 victory against Central Arkansas to conclude nonconference play. Izzy Higginbottom, the SEC’s leading scorer (23.6 ppg) and the fourth best scorer in the nation, hasn’t disappointed this season. She’s registered double-figure points production in all of the Razorbacks games this season for the first time since former Arkansas product Amber Ramirez did so in the 2021-22 campaign. 

While scoring hasn’t been the biggest problem, defense has been a struggle for the Razorbacks, something head coach Mike Neighbors harped on ahead of the season. Currently, the Razorbacks sit last in the SEC in scoring defense and in the bottom tier of many defensive categories. Despite the struggles, Higginbottom echoed the notion of playing better defense but that nonconference play has “helped” the team for the SEC schedule.

“We do good things here and there, but it’s got to be consistent, ” Higginbottom said after Sunday’s win. “It doesn’t matter how much we score, we gotta go back and get stops if we want to win.”

SEC games this week

Thursday, Jan. 2

• South Carolina at Missouri
• Mississippi State at Kentucky
• Florida at Alabama
• Ole Miss at Auburn
• Georgia at Vanderbilt
• Tennessee at Texas A&M
• Texas at Oklahoma
• LSU at Arkansas

Sunday, Jan. 5

• Georgia at Florida
• South Carolina at Mississippi State
• Arkansas at Texas
• Oklahoma at Tennessee
• Vanderbilt at Kentucky
• Missouri at Alabama
• Ole Miss at Texas A&M
• Auburn at LSU

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