No. 6 Oklahoma Ready for Major 'Test' Against 'Experienced' No. 3 UCLA

Oklahoma and UCLA meet on Monday night in a potential Final Four Preview.

Jennie Baranczyk’s Sooners (1-0) are ranked sixth, and they’ll travel to Sacramento, CA, to battle the No. 3-ranked Bruins (2-0).

The contest will feature one of the best center matchups in the country, as OU’s Raegan Beers matches up with UCLA’s Lauren Betts.

Betts averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 30.1 minutes per game, while Beers contributed 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 22.3 minutes per game.

Marquee matchups between centers are rare in college basketball, but Betts and Beers have been competing on the same floor for a long time.

“What’s kind of neat is they both grew up playing against each other in Colorado, so there’s obviously a bit more history,” OU coach Jennie Baranczyk said ahead of the contest. “And then obviously the Pac 12 matchup… It’s always one that’s fun because it’s so unique right now, especially in women’s basketball.

“… There aren’t a ton of center versus center matchups. And I think they both have these incredible skill sets. There are similar parts to their games, and yet, they’re extremely different… So I’m excited to be able to see it too.”

How to Watch No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 UCLA

Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
When: Monday, Nov. 10
Time: 9:30 p.m.
Channel: FS1

Betts isn’t the only Bruin the Sooners will have to worry about, however.

Guard Kiki Rice returns this year, as does Gabriela Jaquez.

UCLA also added former Utah sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens, who picked the Bruins over Oklahoma after entering the transfer portal.

Rice averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game last year, and Jaquez added 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

UCLA Bruins, Kiki Ric — The Sooners will have to slow down UCLA guard Kiki Rice as well as center Lauren Betts. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Payton Verhulst and Sahara Williams have plenty of experience alongside Beers for the Sooners, but Monday night’s contest will serve as the first major test for Aaliyah Chavez and the younger pieces of Oklahoma’s roster.

And while Baranczyk doesn’t want to make the moment too big for players like Chavez, she acknowledged there would be a steep learning curve against UCLA.

“I think there’s a lot of things that we have to navigate as we process through this game,” Baranczyk said. “Obviously, their size, their experience. They have a very, very experienced roster.

“… You have to live with their length, and you have to manage their length and you have to play through and with it for a little bit before you can really prepare for that. It’s hard to prepare for something that you haven’t seen before, so that’s going to be huge for us to be able to get used to that fast.”

Oklahoma Sooners, Aaliyah Chave — Oklahoma freshman Aaliyah Chavez made her Sooner debut last week in a win over Belmont. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As a result, the leadership from OU’s veterans will be almost as important as their actual production on the floor.

“That’s why we’re playing this game. When we scheduled the game, we knew UCLA as UCLA,” Baranzyk said. “We knew they were going to be good. So that’s something that we always wanted, to be able to test ourselves.

“… I’m really excited to be able to watch our seniors and our junior be able to really step up in this kind of game because we’ve been tested before. We’ve fallen down, we’ve been tested, we’ve competed. But this is a whole different level of test for us to be able to do in November, especially this early, second game of the season. So I’m excited to be able to watch those guys really be able to step up against some of the best in the country.”

Tip-off between the Bruins and the Sooners at the Golden 1 Center will be at 9:30 p.m., and the game will air on FS1.

“I think it’s going to be great for women’s basketball,” Baranzyk said. “That’s why we’re playing the game.”