Oklahoma Sooners
Overall Rank: #25
Conference Rank: #4 Big 12
Oklahoma, under the leadership of head coach Sherri Coale, has been ridiculously consistent as a program ever since the 1999-2000 season. The Sooners have earned 18 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. However, the program has not made it to the Sweet 16 or deeper in the postseason since the 2012-13 season. This roster is not deep but there is a nice mix of talent coming back that will make Oklahoma a tough out this season on any given night.
2016-17 Record: 23-10, 613-5
2016-17 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Sherri Coale
Coach Record: 465-227 at Oklahoma, 465-227 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Peyton Little, Guard, 12.4 points per game
Gioya Carter, Guard, 7.7 points per game
T’ona Edwards, Guard, 4.6 points per game
Derica Wyatt, Guard, 2.8 points per game
Shaya Kellogg, Forward, 2.0 points per game
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Maddie Manning, Graduate, Guard, 12.6 points per game
Gabbi Ortiz, Senior, Guard, 8.9 points per game
Vionise Pierre-Louis, Senior, Center, 11.9 points per game
LaNesia Williams, Senior, Guard, 2.5 points per game
Morgan Rich, Redshirt Sophomore, Guard, 1.0 points per game
McKenna Treece, Senior, Center, 0.8 points per game
Ijeoma Odimgbe, Junior, Forward, 1.6 points per game
Gilesya Penzo, Redshirt Junior, Guard, 0.3 points per game
Key New Players
Mandy Simpson, Freshman, Forward
Shaina Pellington, Freshman, Guard
Ana Llanusa, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Maddie Manning and Vionise Pierre-Louis are going to set the tone for this Sooner team heading into the start of the season. Manning is an excellent shooter from the perimeter as she knocked down nearly 40 percent of her shots from three-point range last season. Pierre-Louis should see her production increase with more time in the starting lineup as she averaged just under 12 points per game and is an excellent rebounder. Gabbi Ortiz did an excellent job of distributing the basketball last season with better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio and averaged 8.9 points per game. Mandy Simpson is a highly touted incoming freshman that will bring a very nice mix of versatility at both ends of the court. The non-conference schedule is loaded with games against DePaul, Oregon, Florida, and Connecticut. It will be critical for Oklahoma to be able to at least split those four games heading into Big 12 play for NCAA Tournament resume purposes. Overall, look for another 20-25-win season for the Sooners and a 19th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.0 (31st in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.6 (283, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 41.5 (105, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.9 (173, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (95, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (64, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.6 (68, 2)
Rebound Margin: -1.3 (216, 7)
Assists Per Game: 13.1 (176, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.6 (176, 9)
Madness 2017 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#22 Ana Llanusa
