Skip to main content
All Sooners

Oklahoma's 'Business-Like' Payton Verhulst Looking Forward to Taking on old Friends

Verhulst has plenty familiarity with Michigan State, but is focused on getting the Sooners to the Sweet 16.
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma's Payton Verhulst (12) speaks to the media during practice and media day for the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Thursday March 19, 2026.
Oklahoma's Payton Verhulst (12) speaks to the media during practice and media day for the first round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Thursday March 19, 2026. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In this story:

Oklahoma Sooners

NORMAN — Waiting in the tunnel of Lloyd Noble Center on Friday night, Payton Verhulst’s eyes quickly locked with Michigan State’s Jalyn Brown.

Brown’s Spartans had just escaped Colorado State, 65-62, to set up a potential second-round NCAA Tournament matchup with Verhulst and Oklahoma.

As Brown was coming off the court, she blew Verhulst a kiss.

The two were teammates with Louisville in late 2022 before Verhulst transferred to play for the Sooners at mid-season.

“There’s a lot of love there,” Verhulst said after Oklahoma’s 89-59 over Idaho. “Obviously I’ve been keeping up with her career, and she’s done the same for me, just keeping in touch. I wish her nothing but the best, but, you know, our goal is to win (Sunday).”

Verhulst’s and the fourth-seeded Sooners take on Brown and the fifth-seeded Spartans at 7 p.m. Sunday at LNC with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line.

Oklahoma and Michigan State have met just twice before, and not since December 2007, but there is plenty of familiarity between the two sides.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

Verhulst said the matchup with the Spartans Brown and Grace VanSlooten was in the back of her mind when the bracket was announced but it was little more than a passing thought.

She didn’t reach out to either when the bracket was released.

“I’m a very loving person, but when it comes to basketball, I’m pretty business-like,” Verhulst said. “When you see them in person, obviously, it’s all love, and then once you get on the floor, you take care of the basketball part.”

Brown transferred to Arizona State in mid-2023 and to Michigan State before this season.

She scored 13 in the win over the Rams while VanSlooten had 18.

OU center Raegan Beers and Michigan State post VanSlooten have plenty of history.

They were on opposite sides of the 2022 McDonald’s All-American game, then were on opposite sides of the Oregon State-Oregon rivalry, with Beers at Oregon State from 2022-24 and VanSlooten at Oregon.

Verhulst also has played with VanSlooten for Team USA.

“I think that’s something really fun about those USA events, you get to go and compete with and against people from all different colleges, even before you get there,” Verhulst said.

Both OU coach Jennie Baranczyk and Michigan State coach Robyn Fralick coached Beers, Verhulst and VanSlooten in USA Basketball as well.

“Definitely a friendship forged,” Fralick said of the experience coaching with Baranczyk. “She’s somebody I look up to and respect. We have a lot of overlap even in sort of how our careers and somebody that I just really admire the job she’s done wherever she’s been.”

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published | Modified
Ryan Aber
RYAN ABER

Ryan Aber has been covering Oklahoma football for more than a decade continuously and since 1999 overall. Ryan was the OU beat writer for The Oklahoman from 2013-2025, covering the transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables. He covered OU men's basketball's run to the Final Four in 2016 and numerous national championships for the Sooners' women's gymnastics and softball programs. Prior to taking on the Sooners beat, Ryan covered high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Oklahoma City Barons for the newspaper from 2006-13. He spent two seasons covering Arkansas football for the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas before returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Ryan also worked at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Muskogee Phoenix. At the Phoenix, he covered OU's national championship run in 2000. Ryan is a graduate of Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

Home/Women's Basketball