How Oklahoma has developed into a force and is now legit threat to UConn

SPOKANE, Wash.— Raegan Beers decision to transfer to Oklahoma last year changed everything for the Sooners. Beers, who led Oregon State to the Elite Eight last year and was the No.

1 player in the transfer portal after the 2024 NCAA Tournament, came to Oklahoma with big goals.She wants to go pro and make it further in March Madness than she had previously done. But there’s a big blue road block standing on the third-seeded Oklahoma’s pathway forward. The Sooners are scheduled to play second-seeded Connecticut Saturday in the Sweet 16. The matchup against women’s college basketball’s most successful team might be daunting for some.

But not so much Oklahoma. “When you think of women’s basketball, you think UConn, you think South Carolina.You think all these really good teams.

But I want to put Oklahoma on the map,” forward Sahara Williams said.“So I think this game is a good test of who we are and see where we want to go and how bad we really want to be good.” Williams signed with Oklahoma out of high school because she believed in coach Jennie Baranczyk’s vision and wanted to help take Oklahoma to new heights. Oklahoma had been on an upward trajectory since Baranczyk took over the program in 2021 as the team made three straight NCAA Tournaments heading into this season. But Beers’ arrival in a lot of ways fast tracked that process. Want to tune into as much March Madness as you can? DIRECTV Stream and Hulu + Live TV both have you covered with every channel you’ll need, plus free trials.“Getting Reagan was like, ‘OK, finally, we’re doing it.

It’s coming to life,’ ” Williams said.“Understand that we have one of the best players in the country in Oklahoma, like, we’re building something.” But Williams knew she had to get better, work hard and elevate her game.

Doing what she did as a freshman would simply not be enough. She watched how Beers operates and tries to follow in some of her footsteps.If you enter th...