No. 7 LSU survived an offensive shootout with No. 13 Oklahoma on Thursday, toppling the Sooners 107-100 in a chippy SEC battle that saw 53 personal fouls, five technical fouls, and two players ejected.
LSU forward Sa'Myah Smith and Oklahoma forward Liz Scott were both tossed in the first quarter following a shoving match in the paint. Just over four minutes into the game, Smith pushed Sooner center Beatrice Culliton to the ground, then Scott retaliated by shoving Smith.
"Pushing, I guess, is considered fighting," said LSU head coach Kim Mulkey after the game. "[Smith's reaction] was shocking. It hurt our team with her not being a part of tonight, because we're trying to develop her."
"My old mentor Leon Barmore always said you've got to keep a cool head in a hot game," commented Mulkey, who also booked herself a technical later in the matchup alongside Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk.
LSU, Oklahoma make SEC basketball history
Last night's attacking firepower made SEC women's basketball history, marking the first-ever game where each team scored at least 100 points in regulation.
Sophomore Mikaylah Williams scored a season-high 37 points to lead the Tigers over the finish line after nearly giving up a double-digit lead.
LSU stars Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow added a respective 25 and 21 points to the Tigers' tally, while Payton Verhulst led the Sooners' scoring with 26 points.
With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 4-4 in SEC play, a record that more accurately showcases the conference's strength rather than the Sooners' weakness.
NCAA teams to honor WNBA stars this weekend
The top-ranked NCAA action continues this weekend, with two WNBA superstars seeing their jerseys retired in ceremonies on Sunday afternoon.
First, No. 2 South Carolina will honor three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson alongside the Gamecocks' game against unranked Auburn, before unranked Iowa will commemorate all-time NCAA leading-scorer Caitlin Clark during a high-profile matchup with No. 4 USC.
Not long after, the Sooners will be back in the weekend's only Top 15 meeting, hosting No. 12 Kentucky late Sunday afternoon. The Wildcats improved to 7-1 in SEC play on Thursday, thanks to a 65-56 win over No. 22 Alabama.
How to watch this weekend's top NCAA basketball games
No. 2 South Carolina and Auburn will tip off Sunday's slate at 12 PM ET, live on ESPN, with Iowa's game against No. 4 USC following at 1:30 PM ET on Fox Sports.
No. 12 Kentucky's visit to No. 13 Oklahoma then begins at 4 PM ET Sunday, with live coverage on SECN.
The NCAA's hottest conference shows no signs of letting up, with the SEC serving college basketball fans two of Thursday's most anticipated top-ranked clashes.
After last week's loss to No. 2 South Carolina and Sunday's low-scoring victory over unranked Texas A&M, No. 7 LSU ready to reclaim their previous firepower by gearing up for an offense-heavy battle with SEC newcomer No. 13 Oklahoma.
The Tigers have only met the Sooners once before, falling in to Oklahoma in a December 2019 matchup. However, head coach Kim Mulkey, who joined LSU in 2021, brings her own experience, tallying a 27-20 record against Oklahoma during her time at Baylor.
Both teams enter Thursday's matchup ranked in the nation's Top 3 for rebounding and Top 6 for scoring, with each having a particular penchant for points in transition.
Between LSU scoring leaders Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow — the nation's top rebounder who also leads the country with 19 double-doubles on the season — Oklahoma will need to lean on both defense and Sooner center Reagan Beers to tame the Tigers.
Don't sleep on Kentucky
Joining the Wildcats one year after leading Virginia Tech to their first-ever Final Four in 2023, No. 12 Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks has taken the once-struggling team to the upper echelons of the SEC table. The Cats are currently in second place alongside LSU and No. 5 Texas, all trailing defending national champs South Carolina.
Much of Kentucky's success rests on star guard — and Virginia Tech transfer — Georgia Amoore, who leads the Wildcats in points, assists, and steals.
The Australian standout will look to defend the Wildcats' undefeated 2024/25 home record — and clinch the program's 500th win at Historic Memorial Coliseum — when No. 22 Alabama visits on Thursday.
How to watch Thursday's Top 25 SEC basketball games
Both of Thursday's ranked SEC matchups tip off at 7 PM ET, when No. 13 Oklahoma takes on No. 7 LSU on ESPN2 while No. 22 Alabama faces No. 12 Kentucky on SECN.
Women's college basketball star and Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles recorded her second-straight triple-double on Sunday, becoming the first ACC player to hit the tally in back-to-back NCAA games.
Miles notched a career-high 14 assists in Notre Dame's 95-54 win over Virginia, complementing the feat with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
The 21-year-old now has six career triple-doubles, tying WNBA mainstay and Maryland alum Alyssa Thomas for the most in ACC history.
"It's even more special coming off a year where I just sat on my butt," Miles told reporters, referencing last season's sidelining ACL tear.
"It's definitely not an easy thing to do, to sit out, but I learned so much, and it's enabled me to come and do what I do."
NCAA conference play tips off with Top 10 matchups
With non-conference fireworks smoldering, college basketball is transitioning to conference play as tournament contenders enter the regular-season gauntlet hoping to peak at just the right time.
Subsequently, top NCAA basketball teams held court in two ranked Big Ten matchups over the weekend. No. 8 Maryland edged out No. 19 Michigan State 72-66 while No. 4 USC took down No. 23 Michigan 78-58.
This week's lone Top 10 matchup revives a longtime rivalry, when SEC newcomers and former Big 12 foes No. 5 Texas and No. 9 Oklahoma tip off in Norman on Thursday.
Star Texas sophomore Madison Booker and senior point guard Rori Harmon will face big name Oregon State transfer Reagan Beers. Since joining the Sooners, Beers has emerged as Oklahoma's leading scorer this season.
The Sooners won't see much rest after their clash with the Longhorns, as Oklahoma then gears up for Sunday's date with No. 15 Tennessee.
How to watch Texas vs. Oklahoma college basketball this week
Oklahoma hosts Texas on Thursday at 9 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.
Oklahoma’s Taylor Robertson inked her name in the NCAA record books on Saturday with her record-breaking 498th career 3-pointer.
The guard set the Division I women’s basketball record for 3-pointers, nailing her first attempt of the game against Iowa State to move into first place. She went 6-for-8 from 3-point range, but the No. 14 Sooners lost 86-78 to the No. 18 Cyclones.
👑 𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐄𝐍 👑
— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) January 28, 2023
With career 3-pointer 𝟒𝟗𝟖, Taylor Robertson has broken the NCAA record! #Sooners x @T_Rob30 pic.twitter.com/NnBczf4ir2
Robertson is a fifth-year senior, but she still surpassed the record set by Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell one game sooner: 138 to 139. She also broke it in fewer attempts: 1,134 to Mitchell’s 1,286.
The record also means that Robertson has made at least one 3-pointer in 62 consecutive games
“I think the main thing is consistency,” Robertson said. “I’ve been consistent since I could even pick up a ball, and just doing it over and over. Just nailing down the fundamentals and believing you’re going to make it.”
Payton Verhulst announced her commitment with two words: “Boomer Sooner.”
Just one week after her decision to transfer from Louisville women’s basketball was made public, Verhulst tweeted her next destination, accompanied by a picture of her in an Oklahoma jersey and a graphic reading, “Welcome home Payton Verhulst.”
The sophomore was a sought-after recruit coming out of high school and a solid get for Oklahoma in the transfer portal. Oklahoma’s campus, located in Norman, is just a five-hour drive from Verhulst’s hometown of De Soto, Kansas, compared to the eight-hour trek to Louisville.
Boomer Sooner❤️ pic.twitter.com/LaUQINtoX0
— Payton Verhulst (@payton_verhulst) December 12, 2022
Verhulst played her freshman season at Louisville, coming off the bench and recording 11.1 minutes per game, 3.3 points and 19 rebounds. In eight games as a Cardinal this season, the sophomore averaged 15 minutes, 6.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.
Oklahoma is 8-1 so far this year and sits at No. 24 in the polls.
While Verhulst will have to sit out the rest of this season, she will be eligible to play for the Sooners in the 2023-24 season.
The 6-1 guard was the No. 12 recruit in the class of 2021 and fielded offers from the country’s top programs, including UConn, Stanford and Notre Dame before committing to Louisville.
Louisville started the season ranked No. 7 in the country before a rocky start to the season dropped the Cardinals from the AP poll completely.
A Dec. 4 loss to Middle Tennessee was the low point, and also when Verhulst’s decision was made public.
“She was just looking for some more opportunities to play and then just decided to transfer,” coach Jeff Walz told reporters after the game. “I’ve never been one to force some kid or try and force them to stay. I wasn’t going to do it. We wished her absolutely the best and hope she has great success.”
Oklahoma State stunned No. 1 Oklahoma, defeating their in-state rivals 4-3 to claim their first Big 12 softball title Saturday.
The Cowgirls took the lead in the top of the eighth, loading the bases with nobody out before Kiley Naomi took a four-pitch walk from Nicole May.
Oklahoma State hung onto the 4-3 lead, with Morgan Day closing out the game, shutting down the Sooners from the mound.
✨ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 ✨@CowgirlSB x #Big12SB pic.twitter.com/ttof6Cxtpw
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) May 14, 2022
The victory marks the program’s first-ever Big 12 title and Oklahoma State’s first conference championship since the Cowgirls won the Big Eight regular-season trophy in 1995.
“This is another feather in our cap as a program,” head coach Kenny Gajewski said. “We just have to keep doing things we haven’t done before. We hadn’t won the Big 12 tournament, now we have. We need to keep winning and continually build.”
The Cowgirls’ historic stand puts them in a promising position for Sunday’s NCAA selection day, where seeding for the NCAA Tournament will be revealed.