OU Basketball: Oklahoma Lands in Preseason Top 10 for First Time Since 2010

Jennie Baranczyk's Sooners have high expectations ahead of inaugural SEC season.

Oklahoma Sooners guard Payton Verhulst passes as Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker defends during OU's 71-70 win over the Longhorns last year. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Jennie Baranczyk’s Sooners will start the season off with high expectations. 

Oklahoma opened up as the No. 10-ranked team in the AP Poll. 

It marks the first time the Sooners were ranked in the preseason top 10 since 2010, and the first time that Oklahoma has been ranked in the top 10 at all since 2013.

South Carolina opened the season at No. 1, followed by UConn, USC, Texas and UCLA to round out the top five. 

LSU was the final SEC team ahead of OU at No. 7, and the conference rounded out the poll with Ole Miss at 20, Kentucky at 22 and Alabama at 24.

Yesterday, OU placed fourth in the SEC preseason poll as voted for by a panel of SEC and national media members. 

The Sooners trailed defending national champion South Carolina, Texas and LSU in the poll. 

Oklahoma’s marquee transfer addition, All-American center Raegan Beers, earned preseason All-SEC First Team honors while reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Skylar Vann was named to the second team. 

Entering her fourth season as OU’s head coach, Baranczyk returns plenty of firepower from last year’s squad. 

Oklahoma returns 98 percent of last year’s scoring production, as graduate Kennady Tucker was the only departure from the 2024 Big 12 winning Sooners.