Oklahoma Opens March Madness Against 'Legit' Idaho Team on 18-game Winning Streak

The Sooners' First Round opponents in the NCAA Tournament haven't dropped a game since January.

Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk takes the podium at Media Day. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma will have to snap a massive streak to advance to the Second Round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The 4-seeded Sooners host 13-seeded Idaho on Friday night (9 p.m., ESPN), and the Big Sky Champion Vandals have ripped off 18-straight wins.

Idaho’s last loss came on Jan. 10 at the hands of Montana State, and they’ve only improved since then.

“Idaho is a special team, and they've had a really great year, to be able to win their league,” OU coach Jennie Baranczyk said on Thursday. “They're a fun team to watch. They're well-balanced and (play with) a great pace. So it's going to be a really fun basketball game for us.”

How to Watch 4-seeded Oklahoma vs. 13-seeded Idaho

When: Friday, March 20
Where: Lloyd Noble Center
Time: 9 p.m.
Channel: ESPN

Oklahoma center Raegan Beers is a mismatch for virtually every team, but the Vandals do have a pair of bigs that can try and match up the All-American.

Senior forward Lorena Barbosa stands 6-foot-5 and leading rebounder Debora dos Santos is 6-0, giving the Vandals a chance at pulling down boards agianst the Sooners.

“They've got good interior players,” Baranczyk said. “They've got great guard play. They've been a fun team to be able to watch and scout.

“… You can tell why they've won a lot of games.”

Still, the Sooners are confident they’ll be able to press their own advantages.

Size alone isn’t enough to stop Beers, and Baranczyk believes OU will get the best out of both Aaliyah Chavez and Payton Verhulst in the NCAA Tournament.

The Vandals are under no illusions about how difficult the task will be on Friday night.

“They're an incredible basketball team,” Idaho coach Arthur Moreira said. “We prepared really hard this week to play them. It's going to be a huge challenge, but we're going to be who we are. We're still going to try to run. We're still going to try to rebound.”

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The Sooners have won all four First Round contests in the NCAA Tournament under Baranczyk, but they aren’t taking the Vandals lightly on Friday.

“Around this time of year, we're going to get everyone's best shot,” OU forward Sahara Williams said. “They won their conference, 18 in a row, they're a really good team.

“They're legit. So just putting our best foot forward, and we've got to play our best basketball tomorrow to keep winning. So I think that's a big part too.”