The newly 10th-ranked Oklahoma women's basketball team got to wait and watch on Wednesday as the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament got underway at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Sooners (23-6, 11-5), the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, will see their first action on Thursday, facing 12th-seeded Georgia in a second-round matchup. Georgia advanced after coming from behind to defeat 13th-seeded Arkansas 79-74 in the escond game of the tournament.
Georgia overcame a 60-54 deficit entering the fourth quarter and a 38-point performance from Arkansas' Izzy Higginbottom, the SEC's leading scorer who scored more than half of the Razorbacks' total points. The Bulldogs outscored Arkansas 25-14 in the final period to pull out the win and move on to face Oklahoma.
Oklahoma defeated Georgia earlier this season but lost to Kentucky.
Top-seeded South Carolina is also on the Sooners' side of the bracket. South Carolina handed the Sooners their worst loss of the season, hammering OU 101-60 at then-No. 2-ranked South Carolina in mid-January.
For a rematch with the Gamecocks, however, Oklahoma would need to get by Kentucky, which handed OU a 96-86 loss at Lloyd Noble Center on Feb. 2.
The Sooners have not lost since losing to Kentucky and enter the SEC tournament on the heels of seven straight wins.
Despite being ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings this week, Texas is the No. 2 seed in the tournament. The Longhorns and South Carolina were tied after splitting the series this season, but the Gamecocks got the No. 1 spot from a coin flip.
Oklahoma has been ranked in every AP poll this season, opening at No. 10 and rising as high as No. 8. This is the fifth time in program history the Sooners have entered March Madness in the top 10.
The Sooners led wire to wire in beating Georgia 86-55 back in late January. OU made eight 3-pointers in the game, three by Payton Verhulst, who led the Sooners with 13 points. Oregon State transfer Raegan Beers contributed 13 points along with 11 rebounds, and the Sooner reserves added 38 points off the bench.
Oklahoma should be able to reprise a win over Georgia and advance to the quarterfinals against Kentucky. To get by the Wildcats, however, the Sooners are going to have to protect the ball better and do a much better job of cashing in second-chance opportunities.
Kentucky scored 25 points off of 18 Oklahoma turnovers in the earlier game, and although the Sooners had an 18-4 advantage in offensive rebounds, they managed just four second-chance points.
To beat Kentucky, the Sooners are also going to have to do a much better job defending the 3-point line. The Wildcats made 14 3-balls and shot 41% from behind the arc in the first game between the two teams.
Tip-off for Oklahoma's second-round matchup with Georgia is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT on Thursday. Should the Sooners advance to the quarterfinal round vs. Kentucky, that game will tip at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Both games will be televised on SEC Network.