21/21 OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Currently 0 - 0 (0-0 SEC); Last year 26-8 (11-5, 5th), 1-1 SEC Tournament, 2-1 NCAA T (lost to SoCar 68-94 in Sweet 19)
Massey 8 (UNC 20), Torvik 16 (UNC 9), Nolan no data yet
The Oklahoma Sooners are our opening regular season game; it is theirs as well. It is to be held in Paris on Monday 11/2 in the Oui Play game. If I recall it is our first ever game in Paris or in Europe.
Last season was Oklahoma’s second in the SEC, having jumped from the B12 in 2024. Carolina has played them 5 times and holds a 3-2 lead. The last meeting was in December 2023 in the Jumpman Classic in Charlotte. UNC won 61-52. Indya Nivar is the only player from that game still active.
#12/#11 UNC is favored by 3 points (Torvik), but Massey has Carolina as a 4-point underdog.
OU did return a pair of experienced starters from last year’s team. Aaliyah Chavez, a 5-10 sophomore G, started all 34 games and average a team best 18.4 points and also led in assists. Also starting was Sahara Williams, a 5-11 senior F who like Chavez started 34 games and had 12.4 ppg and a team best 7.9 rebounds as well. Chavez was SEC Freshman of the Year.
Oklahoma did lose three starters either to transfer or to graduation: Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst, and Zya Vann who between them added 38.2 ppg. To replace them OU brought in 7 newbies, four by TP and three as freshmen. They are an interesting bunch but since this is OU’s first game we have no current stats to evaluate.
Meantime there were five players on reserve duty and who could fill in for the three departed. The Sooners don’t bother showing a box score from their exhibition game: a hard-fought battle with D2’s Southern Nazarene when OU eked out an 85-point win 124-39.
The returnees are 6-1 junior F Caya Smith (4.3 ppg in 14 minutes of action across 34 games); 6-3 sophomore F Brooklyn Stewart (6.6 ppg in 16 mpg); Emma Tolan, a 5-11 sophomore F (1.5 ppg); Kezia Lofton, a 6-0 sophomore G (4.0 ppg in 13.7 mpg); and Daffa Cissoko, a 6-4 sophomore C (0.4 ppg in 3 mpg). Of these four the only one who might break into the starting lineup is Stewart but Cissoko does speak French (she’s from Paris) and so could be tour guide and lead her team to a pregame meal of foie gras, beef bourgignon, Roquefort cheese and a nice Bordeaux red.
Now the fun part: the four transfers could easily start for most teams. They are Sa’Myah Smith, a 6-2 5th year F who spent 3 years at LSU and last year as a starter for Virginia (7.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg). She had 4 points and 4 rebounds in the UNC-UVA game last season. Another is Isimemne Ozzy-Momudu, a 6-3 5th year C most recently a starter for Maryland (8 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Despite the name she is from London.
Moving along, we have Jordan Speiser, a 6-1 sophomore G who spent her freshman year at K-State (10.2 ppg). She is a McDonald’s AA and a 5-star recruit. Then we see 5-11 sophomore G Keely Parks, a 5-11 sophomore G who spent year 1 at Kansas (5.1 ppg). Parks was all-everything in Oklahoma HS (3x Oklahoma POY) so why would she have gone to Kansas and not Oklahoma in the first place? Teen age girls.
OU does have three freshmen, and one of these, 6-0 G Sina Höllerl was a big deal in Austria, playing in the Damen Superliga (their top semi-pro league), was 3x POY (17.5 pp/ 7.4 rpg), and a member of both the Austrian nationals and 3x3 teams. LeeLee Bell, a 6-3 G, was a 4-star and 3x Minnesota POY (Ms. Basketball in 2026) who put up an impressive 28.1 ppg and 11.8 rpg in HS.
The final freshman, 6-1 G Vienna Murray, was All-State in Minnesota but given the other six newcomers unlikely to see a lot of action.
As noted there are no game statistics so there is nothing to analyze but it might be noted that Ozzy-Momudu at Maryland wasn’t much of a FT shooter (53.7%) and last season Oklahoma wasn’t a great 3-point team (29%). Their top scorer, Chavez, averaged 30.5% but that didn’t discourage her from cranking it up: 272 attempts for 82 makes.
North Carolina, like Oklahoma, was a Sweet 16 team last year, and like the Sooners want more in 2027. Both teams went looking for help in the TP and it would seem that Oklahoma may have found it.
For the Heels, the transfer portal produced home-town girl Gabby White, a 5-10 sophomore G, Sophie Burrows, a 6-2 senior F, Achol Akot, a 6-1 senior F, and Chloe Clardy, a 5-9 senior G. Clardy appeared for 5 minutes in the Maryland exhibition, but Akot started both games. Burrows and White have yet to appear although Coach CB says it is precautionary and both are expected to play in France. Akot had 18 points against Davidson.
The freshman contingent is one player, but that one is thought to be a future franchise player: Kate Harpring. She had 17 points against Davidson and 29 against Maryland.
Veteran Reniya Kelly returns after a year on IR and seems fully recovered. The one worry is Ciera Toomey, who has not played and her status is unknown.
The starting lineup for Paris would likely be Harpring, Kelly, Nyla Brooks, Akot, and either Taissa Queiroz or Laila Hull. We will know on Monday. N° 21 OU is the highest-ranked team UNC has ever opened regular season with. Things will not get easier as game #2 is against N° 4 South Carolina in Charlotte, on Sunday 8th.
The current head coach is at Oklahoma is Jennie Baranczyk (Buh-RAN-chick), in year six. Her record at OU is 127-42. She tends to be offensive-minded and last year’s squad averaged 85.9 ppg, 3rd in the NCAA. While not an “iron five” coach she does pick her starting five at the first game and keeps it, barring injuries, for the rest of the season.
Game time is 2:30 PM EST. There will be coverage from ESPN2 and audio from GoHeels.
Currently 0 - 0 (0-0 SEC); Last year 26-8 (11-5, 5th), 1-1 SEC Tournament, 2-1 NCAA T (lost to SoCar 68-94 in Sweet 19)
Massey 8 (UNC 20), Torvik 16 (UNC 9), Nolan no data yet
The Oklahoma Sooners are our opening regular season game; it is theirs as well. It is to be held in Paris on Monday 11/2 in the Oui Play game. If I recall it is our first ever game in Paris or in Europe.
Last season was Oklahoma’s second in the SEC, having jumped from the B12 in 2024. Carolina has played them 5 times and holds a 3-2 lead. The last meeting was in December 2023 in the Jumpman Classic in Charlotte. UNC won 61-52. Indya Nivar is the only player from that game still active.
#12/#11 UNC is favored by 3 points (Torvik), but Massey has Carolina as a 4-point underdog.
OU did return a pair of experienced starters from last year’s team. Aaliyah Chavez, a 5-10 sophomore G, started all 34 games and average a team best 18.4 points and also led in assists. Also starting was Sahara Williams, a 5-11 senior F who like Chavez started 34 games and had 12.4 ppg and a team best 7.9 rebounds as well. Chavez was SEC Freshman of the Year.
Oklahoma did lose three starters either to transfer or to graduation: Raegan Beers, Payton Verhulst, and Zya Vann who between them added 38.2 ppg. To replace them OU brought in 7 newbies, four by TP and three as freshmen. They are an interesting bunch but since this is OU’s first game we have no current stats to evaluate.
Meantime there were five players on reserve duty and who could fill in for the three departed. The Sooners don’t bother showing a box score from their exhibition game: a hard-fought battle with D2’s Southern Nazarene when OU eked out an 85-point win 124-39.
The returnees are 6-1 junior F Caya Smith (4.3 ppg in 14 minutes of action across 34 games); 6-3 sophomore F Brooklyn Stewart (6.6 ppg in 16 mpg); Emma Tolan, a 5-11 sophomore F (1.5 ppg); Kezia Lofton, a 6-0 sophomore G (4.0 ppg in 13.7 mpg); and Daffa Cissoko, a 6-4 sophomore C (0.4 ppg in 3 mpg). Of these four the only one who might break into the starting lineup is Stewart but Cissoko does speak French (she’s from Paris) and so could be tour guide and lead her team to a pregame meal of foie gras, beef bourgignon, Roquefort cheese and a nice Bordeaux red.
Now the fun part: the four transfers could easily start for most teams. They are Sa’Myah Smith, a 6-2 5th year F who spent 3 years at LSU and last year as a starter for Virginia (7.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg). She had 4 points and 4 rebounds in the UNC-UVA game last season. Another is Isimemne Ozzy-Momudu, a 6-3 5th year C most recently a starter for Maryland (8 ppg, 6.4 rpg). Despite the name she is from London.
Moving along, we have Jordan Speiser, a 6-1 sophomore G who spent her freshman year at K-State (10.2 ppg). She is a McDonald’s AA and a 5-star recruit. Then we see 5-11 sophomore G Keely Parks, a 5-11 sophomore G who spent year 1 at Kansas (5.1 ppg). Parks was all-everything in Oklahoma HS (3x Oklahoma POY) so why would she have gone to Kansas and not Oklahoma in the first place? Teen age girls.
OU does have three freshmen, and one of these, 6-0 G Sina Höllerl was a big deal in Austria, playing in the Damen Superliga (their top semi-pro league), was 3x POY (17.5 pp/ 7.4 rpg), and a member of both the Austrian nationals and 3x3 teams. LeeLee Bell, a 6-3 G, was a 4-star and 3x Minnesota POY (Ms. Basketball in 2026) who put up an impressive 28.1 ppg and 11.8 rpg in HS.
The final freshman, 6-1 G Vienna Murray, was All-State in Minnesota but given the other six newcomers unlikely to see a lot of action.
As noted there are no game statistics so there is nothing to analyze but it might be noted that Ozzy-Momudu at Maryland wasn’t much of a FT shooter (53.7%) and last season Oklahoma wasn’t a great 3-point team (29%). Their top scorer, Chavez, averaged 30.5% but that didn’t discourage her from cranking it up: 272 attempts for 82 makes.
North Carolina, like Oklahoma, was a Sweet 16 team last year, and like the Sooners want more in 2027. Both teams went looking for help in the TP and it would seem that Oklahoma may have found it.
For the Heels, the transfer portal produced home-town girl Gabby White, a 5-10 sophomore G, Sophie Burrows, a 6-2 senior F, Achol Akot, a 6-1 senior F, and Chloe Clardy, a 5-9 senior G. Clardy appeared for 5 minutes in the Maryland exhibition, but Akot started both games. Burrows and White have yet to appear although Coach CB says it is precautionary and both are expected to play in France. Akot had 18 points against Davidson.
The freshman contingent is one player, but that one is thought to be a future franchise player: Kate Harpring. She had 17 points against Davidson and 29 against Maryland.
Veteran Reniya Kelly returns after a year on IR and seems fully recovered. The one worry is Ciera Toomey, who has not played and her status is unknown.
The starting lineup for Paris would likely be Harpring, Kelly, Nyla Brooks, Akot, and either Taissa Queiroz or Laila Hull. We will know on Monday. N° 21 OU is the highest-ranked team UNC has ever opened regular season with. Things will not get easier as game #2 is against N° 4 South Carolina in Charlotte, on Sunday 8th.
The current head coach is at Oklahoma is Jennie Baranczyk (Buh-RAN-chick), in year six. Her record at OU is 127-42. She tends to be offensive-minded and last year’s squad averaged 85.9 ppg, 3rd in the NCAA. While not an “iron five” coach she does pick her starting five at the first game and keeps it, barring injuries, for the rest of the season.
Game time is 2:30 PM EST. There will be coverage from ESPN2 and audio from GoHeels.
