Florida Women’s Basketball Looks for First Top-10 Win at Oklahoma

Florida women’s basketball is searching for its first win against a ranked opponent this season on Thursday night.

After back-to-back wins against Auburn and Arkansas, the Gators head to Norman to take on No. 10 Oklahoma on Thursday night. This will be another tough battle, as three of Florida’s last five opponents also were ranked in the top 10.

But with the pair of major SEC wins, the Gators improved their record to 15-11 (3-8 SEC) as they prepare to face the Sooners (17-6, 5-5 SEC) in an SEC showdown. In turn, the Gators have an advantage going into Thursday night as they have won their last two games while Oklahoma is coming off a two-game losing streak. This momentum difference is stark.

The Sooners currently lead the overall series against the Gators 2-1, having won each of the last two times the pair played. With that in mind, Florida looks to make the series 2-2 in enemy territory.

Leading scorer sophomore Liv McGill is currently on a hot streak for Florida, as she recorded a career-high 14 rebounds against Arkansas despite leading the Gators in scoring and assist rate. 

“My teammates and my coaching staff believe in me so I just go out there and do whatever is needed,” McGill said. “I ended up getting 14 rebounds, I don’t even know how I did that.”

She is currently ranked No. 2 in the SEC for her efforts so far. 

With 254 steals this season (averaging 9.8 per game), Florida will need to hone in its defense against one of the top offenses in the nation. The Gators were able to force 19 turnovers against Arkansas and 18 against Auburn.

“Defensively, I thought it was one of our better games in terms of guarding one-on-one, keeping people in front, communicating and especially in the second half,” said Finley after the Gators’ win against Auburn. “It was a gritty team win and that’s what you get in this league every night.”

Oklahoma is currently ranked third in the SEC and is No. 5 in the country in scoring. They average 88 points per game. But as noted, though Oklahoma outranks the Gators offensively, defense is where Florida shines. Me’Arah O’Neal and McGill are both ranked in the SEC’s top 10 for blocks (O’Neal) and steals (McGill), making this game dependent on how each performs. 

With less than a month until the start of the SEC Tournament, Florida needs a major win now or never if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball