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Oklahoma Basketball: Jennie Baranczyk's Sooners Picked Third in Big 12 Preseason Poll

The Sooners have a good chance to compete for a conference championship in Year 2 under head coach Jennie Baranczyk.
Ross Lovelace|
Oklahoma Basketball: Jennie Baranczyk's Sooners Picked Third in Big 12 Preseason Poll
Oklahoma Basketball: Jennie Baranczyk's Sooners Picked Third in Big 12 Preseason Poll

On Wednesday, Jennie Baranczyk’s 2022-23 Oklahoma squad was ranked third in the Big 12’s preseason poll. In addition, the Sooners also received one first-place vote.

Iowa State led the way at 75 total points, with Texas just a point behind. Behind Oklahoma, perennial powerhouse Baylor came in fourth. Rounding out the rankings in order were Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and TCU.

A season ago, the Sooners finished fourth in the Big 12, going 12-6 in conference play. Overall, Oklahoma’s season ended at 25-9 after a second round tournament defeat at the hands of Notre Dame in Norman. It was one of Oklahoma’s best seasons in recent memory, making it a quick turnaround for Baranczyk.

In 2022-23, the roster looks to be loaded with experience and talent. Every key players returns, and the bulk of the points will come from experienced super seniors. Both Madi Williams and Taylor Robertson were unanimous preseason All-Big 12 selections, and senior Ana Llanusa received an honorable mention. In all, Oklahoma returns over 90 percent of its scoring and rebounding last year.

In addition to Oklahoma’s trio of preseason honorees, the Sooners also return point guard Kelbie Washington and Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year award in Skylar Vann.

The Sooners made one addition in the transfer portal, adding junior guard Aubrey Joens from Iowa State. 

Joens averaged 6.2 points per game last season for the Cyclones, adding 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5 percent from deep. 

Baranczyk also added four freshmen this offseason in guards Kayla Cooper and Reyna Scott, forward Kiersten Johnson and center Beatrice Culliton.

There’s depth and experience at nearly every position on the floor. The preseason No. 3 slot seems justified, as the Sooners will compete for the team’s first conference title since 2009-10.

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Ross has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners since 2018. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and the Sooners On SI podcast. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross started with Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and worked for Sooners On SI and Thunder On SI. Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross and his wife live in New Orleans, where he is a Marketing and Volunteer Coordinator at the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans Super Bowl Host Committee. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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