Norman — In the almost four years Jacqueline Flanery has been at Oklahoma, she has taken part in some big events. From winning conference championships to competing for national titles, however, the senior gymnast is not easily impressed.
But Flanery admits tonight is a different beat altogether. When her second-ranked Sooners host No. 1 Alabama at Lloyd Noble Center she will be in unfamiliar territory.
“It’s huge,” Flanery said. “It’s the biggest meet in history. We are really excited. I have never been this excited for a meet since I have been in three and a half years. I am really looking forward to it.”
This will be the first time since 2008 that the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation will face-off. Being part of the SEC where half the top 10 comes from the conference, the Crimson Tide may be used to this type of attention. But Oklahoma is getting its first taste of limelight.
The meet will be televised live at 7 p.m. via the Sooner Sports Network on Cox Channel 7 in Oklahoma City. It’s a first for the Sooners and Crimson Tide to perform on live television.
“This is the biggest event we have ever been a part of,” OU coach K.J. Kindler said. “It’s our biggest regular season meet for sure. Probably in program history. I don’t misspeak when I say that. It’s huge.”
Alabama leads the all-time series 21-2 and the Sooners are only 1-7 against the Crimson Tide under Kindler, with their only win coming in the preliminary session of the 2007 NCAA Championships. Friday is the first regular season meeting between the two squads in Norman since 1991. However, the Sooners are 26-2 under Kindler at home.
“We have met some of the best teams in the country within the Southeastern Conference and now we step out of the conference and we face a team that has been ranked first or second all season long,” Alabama coach Sarah Patterson said. “We are stepping out of our comfort zone in Coleman Coliseum and we’re going up against great competition that we will contend with down the road for a national championship.”
The Sooners rise to the top spot in the country lasted only 14 days. Alabama regained its hold at No. 1 earlier this week. Since the second week of the season, OU and the Tide are the only teams to hold the top two positions in the rankings.
“It’s monumental,” Kindler said. “It’s something that we have never done before. Haven’t been in this situation before. We found ourselves here since the second week of the season. We knew it was possible as Alabama and Oklahoma flip-flopped the last four weeks between No. 1 and No. 2. I was hoping it would come down to this.”
Beyond the historical significance of the matchup, a compelling meet is expected from the two talent laden teams. Each squad has gymnasts who are ranked in the top 25 in each event. Oklahoma has nine while the Tides boast 11.
In a matchup like this, every point and routine is critical. The squad who can pull off the most upsets has the advantage. Heading into the meet, Alabama holds the edge in rankings on the vault and floor exercise while the Sooners own the uneven bars. That means it could come down to the balance beam to decide who takes home the victory.
“I do feel on bars we have an excellent team,” Kindler said. “I have been really impressed with our bars all year. We are both ranked No. 1 on Balance beam. The Balance beam very often tells the end result.”
If it comes down to the beam, Holli Vise could be major player for the Sooners. The senior is ranked second in the nation.
“I think we are going to need to be consistent and do what we do every day in practice,” Vise said. “We are not going to be able to hold back at all. Give it everything we got.”
Michael Kinney 366-3537 mkinney@normantranscript.com
