The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
Women's Basketball preview: Oklahoma [March 8, 2015]
03.08.2015 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Sooners meet in the Big 12 Championship semifinals on Sunday (3:55 p.m. Central, FS1).
Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship - Semifinal
Game 31: TEXAS (21-9, 9-9) vs. Oklahoma (20-10, 13-5)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 8 | 4 p.m. Central
Site: Dallas, Texas | American Airlines Arena (10,487)
TV: FOX Sports 1 - Ron Thulin (play-by-play), Brenda VanLengen (analyst)
Radio: 103.1 FM iHeart Austin or TexasSports.com - Craig Way (play-by-play), Fran Harris (analyst)
Game Notes
Championship Central [Big12Sports.com]
TV CLEARANCES
• Sunday's game will be nationally available on FOX Sports 1.
TEXAS-OKLAHOMA SERIES
• Texas meets Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship for the second consecutive season on Sunday (4 p.m. Central, FOX Sports 1). Last season, Texas defeated Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City.
• It is the 50th overall meeting between the Red River rivals and the sixth meeting in a Big 12 Championship game. Texas leads the all-time series, 26-23, including a 3-2 mark in the Big 12 Championship.
• The season series is split, 1-1. Texas had its worst shooting performance of the season (26.2 FG%) as Oklahoma won the first meeting, 70-59, on Jan. 14 in Norman. UT and Oklahoma swapped leads 14 times as the Longhorns prevailed from a nine-point deficit to defeat the Sooners, 84-81, in double-overtime on Jan. 29 in Austin.
• Texas is 3-4 against OU under Head Coach Karen Aston.
TEXAS IN THE BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
• Texas will play in its second consecutive and eighth overall Big 12 Championship semifinal game on Sunday. The Longhorns are 3-4 in the semifinal round.
• In the Big 12 Championship, Texas is 20-17 overall, 12-12 against current Big 12 members, 7-4 as a No. 6 seed, and 2-2 under Head Coach Karen Aston.
• Texas is 4-10 as the lower seed in the Big 12 Championship.
• In the 19th year of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, Texas is making its fifth appearance as a No. 6 seed. In 2000, UT was a No. 6 seed and made its first appearance in a Big 12 Championship final. The other two championship games UT has advanced to were as a No. 1 seed (2003, 2004). The Longhorns' only Big 12 postseason title was in 2003.
LAST SEVEN GAMES
• Since starting the conference season 4-8, Texas has won six of its last seven games entering Sunday's contest against Oklahoma.
• During the last seven games, the Longhorns are averaging 69.4 points and holding opponents to 57.7 points per game -- an +11.7 scoring margin.
• Texas began its first 12 games of conference play shooting 26 percent from 3-point range. The Longhorns are now shooting 38 percent from beyond the arc.
• Freshman guard Ariel Atkins is the team's leading scorer during this period, averaging 11.7 points on 43 percent shooting in 26.0 minutes.
• Atkins (18-20 FT) and freshman guard Brooke McCarty (12-13 FT) are shooting a combined 90 percent from the free throw line with just three misses between them in the last six games.
• Junior guard Brady Sanders has 21 assists on just 7 turnovers during the run. Sanders also averages 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds, and totals a team-high 11 3-pointers (.353 3FG%).
• Junior center Imani McGee-Stafford is averaging a team-best 8.7 rebounds in just 19.1 minutes during this period.
DEEP BENCH
• In the last five games, UT's bench has out-scored the opponent's bench by a total of 130-31.
• 11 Longhorns average more than 10 minutes per game.
• Texas' bench out-scores its counterpart by an average of 25-to-13, including a 21-to-10 advantage during Big 12 play.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
• Texas has out-rebounded 28 of 30 opponents this season.
• UT's +10.3 rebounding margin ranks 11th in the nation.
• The Horns are averaging 42.9 rebounds per game and holding opponents to 32.6 rebounds per game.
• The Longhorns posted a +23 rebound margin at Kansas (Feb. 14). It marked the third-largest rebound margin this season and largest in a Big 12 contest.
20 WINS
• Texas (21-9, 9-9 Big 12) reached 20 wins for the 32nd time in program history this season.
• For the second consecutive season, Texas won its 20th game in the regular season finale -- needing 30 games to reach 20 wins last season, and 29 games to reach 20 wins this season.
• Last season's 22-win campaign broke a three-season drought of reaching 20 wins.
• All of UT's 20-win teams have earned a berth in the NCAA Championship, since joining the Association in the 1982-83 season.
• Karen Aston has been apart of eight 20-win teams at Texas -- six as an assistant coach (1998-2006) and two as a head coach (2012-present).
POINTS IN THE PAINT
• Texas is out-scoring its opponents in the paint by an average of 33-to-21, a +12 point margin.
• Texas has scored 40+ points in the paint in six games this season, including yesterday's game against TCU (40).
• During non-conference play, Texas had a 41-19 scoring advantage in the paint.
• The Longhorns scored a season-high 58 points in the paint against McNeese State (Dec. 17). It was the most since scoring 60 in the paint against Sam Houston State last season.
QUARTERFINAL NOTES
• Texas defeated TCU in the quarterfinal round, 67-61, on Saturday. The Horns out-rebounded TCU, 48-34, and held a 40-12 scoring advantage in the paint.
• Sophomore center Kelsey Lang led the Longhorns with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting with six rebounds in 24 minutes. Freshman guard Ariel Atkins notched a career-high eight rebounds, and added 12 points in 26 minutes.
• Texas takes the season series with TCU, 2-1, and leads the all-time series, 35-2.
• Texas made 26 field goals on 20 assists.
• Texas shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half (16-31 FG) and took a 38-24 lead into the break.
• TCU limited turnovers to three during its near-comeback in the second half.
