Oklahoma vs. FGCU: NCAA Women’s Tournament Preview and Prediction
Here is everything you need to know about Oklahoma and FGCU in our Sooners vs. Eagles NCAA Women’s Tournament first-round preview.
No. 5 Oklahoma (22-9) vs. No. 12 FGCU (29-4)
Time, TV: 3 p.m., Saturday, ESPNews
Location: Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Ind.
All-time series: First meeting
Winner: Advances to the second round on Monday against the winner of the game between No. 4 Indiana and No. 13 Fairfield.
Projected starting lineups
Oklahoma: F Sahara Williams, F Skylar Vann, G Lexy Keys, G Nevaeh Tot, G Payton Verhulst.
FGCU: F Uju Ezeudu, F Ajulu Thatha, G Dolly Cairns, G Emani Jefferson, G Sofia Persson.
Players to watch
Oklahoma
F Skylar Vann
The honors kept rolling in for Vann. This week she was named honorable mention All-America after sharing Big 12 Player of the Year honors with Texas freshman Madison Booker. She was Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year winner in 2022 and 2023. In the regular season she averaged 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and was one of five Power Five players to average 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, joining Caitlin Clark (Iowa), JuJu Watkins (USC), Cameron Brink (Stanford) and Grace VanSlooten (Oregon).
FGCU
F Uju Ezeudu
The Eagles are going to run a lot through the 6-foot forward, who is in her fifth year of college basketball but her second season with the Eagle after spending her first three seasons at Denver. This season she averaged 13.5 points, a team-leading 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.7 blocks as she helped the Eagles win the ASUN Tournament title for the seventh straight season. She’s more threatening from the 3-point line than her percentage (29.1%) suggests.
Key storylines
Oklahoma
Coach Jennie Baranczyk was tasked with rebuilding the program that Sherri Coale turned into a monster and in three seasons the former Drake coach has taken the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament all three seasons, produced three players that have received All-America honors and won the Big 12 Coach of the Year honor in her final season in the league. While the Sooners will be in the SEC this time next year, the former Iowa forward has built a program that should be competitive in its new league right away. But, right now, Baranczyk wants to get the Sooners into the Sweet 16 for the first time under her leadership.
FGCU
Coach Karl Smesko has built a mid-major power in Estero, Fla., just outside of Fort Myers. He’s won more than 600 games with the Eagles, led them to 10 NCAA Tournaments and to seven straight ASUN Tournament crowns. The Eagles are entering the NCAA Tournament on a 22-game winning streak and they’re a matchup problem. FGCU has won its last two NCAA Tournament openers and upset Washington State as a No. 12 seed last year. In fact, FGCU is the NCAA Tournament’s winningest No. 12 seed.
Prediction
Oklahoma 84, FGCU 80. Both teams have the green light to shoot. FGCU won’t be intimidated by OU on a neutral floor. But OU has the firepower to reach the second round.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
