How to Watch No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 24 Georgia

The SEC always presents a fresh challenge.

After conquering Alabama on Sunday, No. 11 Oklahoma has to turn around and take on No. 24 Georgia fresh off the Bulldogs’ . 76-74 upset over Vanderbilt.

The Sooners, who are in position to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at the Lloyd Noble Center, will have to take on the Bulldogs without a healthy Payton Verhulst, too.

OU’s veteran guard was listed as “probable” for the contest on Wednesday night’s availability report after she turned her ankle in the win over the Crimson Tide, but Jennie Baranczyk acknowledged that the team will have to step up to offset any lingering pain.

“I don’t know yet 100 percent how great she’ll be tomorrow,” the OU coach said in a pre-game media availability on Wednesday. “She did some things in practice today, but today was the first day that she’s really done much. … But they’ll put her in a really good position and the best position she can be in. So we’ll have to cover for her, no question. She’s got teammates that are going to have to cover for her for a little bit.”

How to Watch the Sooners vs. the Bulldogs

Where: Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, GA
When: Feb. 19
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Channel: SEC Network

With Verhulst banged up against Alabama, Oklahoma freshman star Aaliyah Chavez took over late.

She’ll have to produce another strong showing on Thursday night for the Sooners to pull out another road win.

Both Chavez and sophomore Zya Vann have grown throughout the year, especially in road environments, growth that’s paying dividends at the right time as the regular season winds down.

“That’s what we want to do,” Baranczyk said. “We want to get better, and I think you can see some areas that we have some major opportunity in growing and then you see some areas that you cal tell that we’ve gotten better. … We’re still kind of looking for some of the chemistry between the players on the floor.

“… It’s fun to watch some of those little connections on the floor continue to get better and blossom.”

Oklahoma Sooners, Payton Verhulst — Oklahoma guard Payton Verhulst battles for the basketball during the Sooners’ victory over Alabama. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oklahoma will have to limit Georgia guard Dani Carnegie on Thursday.

The Bulldogs’ leading scorer dropped 29 points in Sunday’s win over Vanderbilt, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out three assists in the process. Forward Mia Woolfolk also added 19 points and seven rebounds to provide balance for a Georgia team that enters Thursday’s contest ranked 40th in team field goal percentage and 37th in field goal percentage defense.

“They’re just another really good team,” Baranczyk said. “Their guard play is really good and they have back to the basket interior play.”

At this point in the season, the Sooners are used to taking on a talented team on a quick turnaround.

Thursday’s contest marks OU’s 10th ranked matchup of the year, with ranked battle No. 11 coming on Sunday when the Sooners host No. 21 Tennessee.

“That’s really unique, especially for our freshmen where every scout is a new scout and there’s no familiarity from the year before,” Baranczyk said. “That’s different. … I think that is what makes the SEC so unique and also so intense because every game is the NCAA Tournament is how it feels because you’re playing a great team, whether it’s home or away, and it’s a different team than you have faced.

“It’s a new team every week.”

Still, Baranczyk believes her team will be ready to rise to the challenge on Thursday night.

“It’s going to be a really great battle… They can shoot the 3-ball well,” she said. “They can put it on the floor. You’ve got to be ready to guard and you’ve got to be ready to play.”