OU Basketball: No. 9 OU Leaning on Depth Ahead of SEC Gauntlet

Jennie Baranczyk's Sooners roster is talented and deep, something that will be put to the test as conference play starts on Thursday night.

Oklahoma's Payton Verhulst / Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the eve of SEC play, Jennie Baranczyk’s Sooners are in a much better place than they were a year ago. 

OU struggled in non-conference play having to adjust to a new roster and injuries, and the Sooners started Big 12 play at 6-5 overall. 

Things are much different now. 

Oklahoma added Raegan Beers and Zya Vann to an established foundation, and the Sooners are ranked ninth in the country, are 12-1 and are preparing to open their account in a new league against No. 5 Texas (13-1) at 8 p.m. in the Lloyd Noble Center on Thursday. 

And while the addition of Beers increased the expectations surrounding the team, there could have been major growing pains. 

OU fell behind against Duke in Las Vegas, battling back to force overtime, but ultimately taking their first loss of the year. 

The Sooners then erased a 17-point deficit to overcome Louisville and Oklahoma endured a slow first half against Michigan to dispatch of the Wolverines. 

One of Baranczyk’s biggest takeaways from a non-conference schedule that took OU from coast-to-coast is the depth that has emerged throughout her team. 

“We still are building our chemistry,” Baranczyk said on Tuesday. “We still our building our rotations. Depth looks different now that it did.

“… We’ve had depth in the past. We’ve had talent in the past. This is just, it’s very different now because everybody’s role… I think their skillsets have evolved.”

The most noticeable difference is Oklahoma’s size and physicality near the basket. 

Beers’ integration into the team from Oregon State has been as smooth as anyone could have imagined, and Liz Scott’s return from injury which cost her all of last year gives the Sooners a pair of experienced options down low. 

But teams have to prepare differently for both Beers and Scott.

“What makes this year so different and unique,” said Baranczyk, “… is the vast variety of skillsets that we have. 

“Raegan Beers is different than Liz Scott… Both want to score in the paint, can come out of the paint. The way they score in the paint and come out of the paint is different.”

Beers leads Oklahoma in both points per game (17.9) and rebounds per game (9.7) while anchoring the Sooners defensively. In 15.0 minutes per game, Scott has added 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. 

Things are different in the backcourt, too, for the Sooners. 

Veteran Lexy Keys, who started every game last year for Baranczyk after transferring from Oklahoma State, was bumped to the bench due to Beers’ arrival. 

She’s embraced that role, and alongside the freshman guard, Vann, the duo provide an excellent scoring punch as reserves. 

“(Keys) and Zya Vann come in and man, we shift just the whole energy because of their pace of play,” Baranczyk said. 

Keys is averaging 7.8 points per game, down from her 8.4 points per game a year ago, but the Tahlequah, OK, product is shooting 46.2 percent from 3 this year. 

All of that makes life even easier on last year’s Big 12 Co-Player of the Year, Skylar Vann, as well as dynamic guard Payton Verhulst, who still draw plenty of attention from opposing defenses. 

The depth has also allowed Baranczyk to move sophomore Sahara Williams further away from the basket, adding even more size, as well as Reyna Scott and Kiersten Johnson off the bench, allowing OU to matchup better with larger opposition. 

“Not only (do) we have a vast variety of skillsets, we have people that have shifted positions,” Baranczyk said. “… And so you’re adding to what we had in the past.”

The Sooners will need their depth as they take on the SEC gauntlet for the first time. 

After taking on Texas, OU will head to Knoxville to battle No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday. 

Starting conference play off with a pair of top 15 matchups is just an indication of what’s to come, as there are five other teams scattered throughout the AP Top 25, joining Texas, OU and Tennesse. 

Thursday will represent the Sooners’ first chance to make their mark, but Baranczyk expects her team to continue to grow over the next three months no matter how they fare against the Longhorns. 

“You can see that we’re still growing,” Baranczyk said. “… Did I hope that we were hitting our sweet spot right now? Yeah. I always want everything yesterday. That’s my job, right? But also you can see glimpses that are really good.”