Oklahoma Kicks Off SEC Play With New Year's Day Road Tilt

The second phase of the season for Jennie Baranczyk's No. 8 Sooners begins on Thursday night.

Oklahoma guard Aaliyah Chavez drives against Oklahoma State. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The new year brings a new phase to Oklahoma’s schedule. 

Jennie Baranczyk’s team is riding an 11-game winning streak, the second-longest streak in program history, as the Sooners open SEC play on New Year’s Day. 

A road trip to take on Texas A&M (7-2) represents the first conference test of the year for No. 8 Oklahoma (12-1), where OU hopes to continue its hot scoring stretch. 

Led by true freshman star Aaliyah Chavez and All-American center Raegan Beers, the Sooners rank second nationally in points per game (96.2) while boasting the 13th-best defensive rating in the country. 

Chavez has grown into her role as one of Baranczyk’s key players since the Sooners battled No. 4 UCLA on the second night of the season. 

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How to Watch No. 8 Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M

• When: Thursday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m.
• Where: Reed Arena, College Station, TX
• Channel: SEC Network+

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She is leading the team in scoring, averaging 18.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. 

Beers is just behind Chavez, chipping in 17.8 points per game, while also adding 10.7 rebounds per outing. 

Every one of OU’s starters averages a double-digit scoring effort, however, and Baranczyk and her coaching staff built key depth throughout the non-conference slate that will be tested by the Aggies. 

Texas A&M plays at a much slower pace than the Sooners, and the Aggies will hope to prevent OU from getting out and running in transition. 

The Aggies average a plus-4.89 in turnover margin, which ranks 54th and is behind Oklahoma’s plus-6.08 turnover margin (37th).

Getting off to a fast start in SEC play will be crucial for the Sooners. 

Oklahoma will return home after its trip to College Station to host Mississippi State before it enters a grueling stretch against four ranked opponents. 

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Following the battle with the Bulldogs, OU will host No. 14 Ole Miss on Jan. 8 before traveling to No. 12 Kentucky on Jan. 11. 

Baranczyk’s squad will then be back at the Lloyd Noble Center for back-to-back matchups against No. 5 LSU (Jan. 18) and No. 3 South Carolina (Jan. 22).

But none of that will matter on Thursday, when the Sooners just have to take care of Texas A&M.

Tip-off between the OU and the Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.