Oklahoma finds itself in a very peculiar position.
The Sooners go into this week’s Big 12 tournament in Oklahoma City as the No. 2 team in the nation. They trail only Tennessee in the polls and finished with the best overall record in the conference (49-6).
But OU finds itself the No. 2 seed in the tournament, which begins today at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. The Sooners finished 14-4 in Big 12 play. Baylor, No. 5 in the rankings, finished 14-3, edging OU for the regular-season championship despite being swept by the Sooners in Norman.
“It’s disappointing that we didn’t win the conference championship,” OU senior outfielder Jamie Fox said. “But give Baylor credit. They had a great season. We can’t look back on that, dwell on that. We have to be ready to do what we need to do in the tournament this week.”
The Sooners start play Friday and will take on the winner of Kansas and Iowa State, who play at 5 p.m. today.
If the Jayhawks face OU, it will be a rematch of last year’s championship game, when Kansas surprised the Sooners and won the tournament title.
It would also be a chance for OU to get some revenge. A loss at Kansas two weeks ago cost the Sooners the regular-season conference title.
“I know these guys are coming into this tournament hungry,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “I know they’re motivated, and they have goals that they want to accomplish.
“We had some opportunities this year to win the conference, but it didn’t happen. I know this team really wants to win a championship, and the tournament championship would mean a lot to them.”
The argument could be made the Sooners have nothing to gain from the Big 12 tournament.
With 16 NCAA regionals to be handed out, it goes without saying that OU will be hosting at Marita Hynes Field. And should the Sooners win the conference tourney, they would likely be in line for a super regional, assuming they advance from the four-team draw.
An early-round exit in the conference tourney, which was changed to a single-elimination format this season, wouldn’t destroy OU’s chances at hosting both, but it would be a smudge on the Sooners’ résumé.
And if they win? Well, they’re the No. 2 team in the country, they’re supposed to win.
“I don’t know if there’s more pressure really,” Fox said. “I know that winning a championship is a big goal of ours. You want to take home that trophy.”
And there’s even something bigger at play here for OU: pride.
“We want to show that just because we didn’t win the regular-season title, that doesn’t mean we can’t win the tournament title,” sophomore first baseman Samantha Ricketts said. “Losing the regular-season title sucked. We want to prove how good a team we are.”
Considering the Sooners’ ranking, it would appear they already have. Still, Gasso’s likely fine with her players thinking otherwise.
OU Sports
Conference tourney awaits Sooners
- OU Sports
-
-
Sooners did not show up to play
Texas had something to play for. So there’s that. If the Longhorns are to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, this was just the kind of game they absolutely had to win....
-
With W.V. set free by Big East, Big 12 schedule’s out and it’s backloaded for Sooners
With West Virginia finally receiving its release from the Big East Conference on Tuesday, the Big 12 Conference was finally able to release its conference football schedule for the 2012 season....
-
Red River rut
The rut Oklahoma has been trying to escape for the last two weeks continued to grow deeper with a 69-58 loss to Texas Tuesday night at Lloyd Noble Center....
-
OU gearing up for Texas’ Brown
If Oklahoma guard Steven Pledger had his way, tonight’s meeting with Texas will come down to two players: himself and Longhorn guard J’Covan Brown....
-
Sooners will have a dramatically new look up and down the order, on the mound
The clubhouse at L. Dale Mitchell Park hasn’t changed over the last year. Just about everything else has since the 2011 baseball season ended. The locker stalls have 20 new nameplates. The coaches’ locker room has two new ones as well. ...
-
Despite hard fight, UConn wins big
By its own standards, the Connecticut team that took the floor Monday night at Lloyd Noble Center was not in the same class as its previous incarnations. But a down year for the seven-time national champions is still better than just ...
-
Believe it or not, OU women are progressing
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma appeared plenty willing to embarrass Oklahoma for a third time in seven games....
-
OU reeling from stunning loss to Texas Tech
As Oklahoma’s players headed toward the exit at United Spirit Arena on Saturday night, most had dazed looks on their faces. The 65-47 loss to Texas Tech was something they didn’t see coming....
-
Husky challenge
No time might seem like a good time to face Connecticut. The Huskies are always terrific and this season will enter Lloyd Noble Center likely ranked No. 2 following Notre Dame’s Sunday loss to West Virginia....
-
Sooners put finishing touches on perfect opener
Oklahoma capped off a perfect opening weekend of softball on Sunday with an 11-1 victory over Kent State. The Sooners were led by another strong outing from pitcher Keilani Rickets and an offensive explosion by Allee Allen....
- More OU Sports Headlines
-
Sooners did not show up to play
