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OU women's basketball a No. 5 seed in 2023 NCAA Tournament, will face Portland in March Madness

ryan aber, oklahoman
·2 min read

OU women’s basketball is heading to Los Angeles.

The Sooners earned the No. 5 seed in the Greenville 1 Region.

OU will take on No. 12 Portland at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday in the opener. Time and television information will be set by Monday.

With a win, the Sooners would take on the winner of No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 13 Sacramento State on Monday, March 20.

OU is 25-6, coming off an 82-72 loss to Iowa State in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

The Sooners are in the tournament for the second consecutive season under Jennie Baranczyk.

More:Tramel: How Brett Yormark's TV deal is already paying off for Big 12 Conference

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk celebrates during a women's college basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.
Oklahoma Sooners head coach Jennie Baranczyk celebrates during a women's college basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.

"We're excited to continue our season in the NCAA Tournament," Baranczyk said in a release. "The chance to keep playing with this team is special and what we've worked toward all season. We're proud that we get to keep representing Oklahoma, and we look forward to next weekend."

The Sooners are in the tournament for the 23rd time.

The Sooners were a No. 4 seed last season, playing at home and beating IUPUI 78-72 in the first round before falling to No. 5 Notre Dame 108-64 in the second round.

OU is a No. 5 seed for the third time.

In 2015, the Sooners beat Quinnipiac in the first round before falling to No. 4 Stanford in the second round.

In 2000, the Sooners beat No. 12 BYU 86-81 in the first round in West Lafayette, Indiana, then beat No. 4 Purdue 76-74 before falling to top-seeded UConn in the Sweet 16.

The Pilots earned their berth after knocking off top-seeded Gonzaga in the finals of the West Coast Conference Tournament.

Portland is in the tournament for the sixth time. The Pilots are still searching for their first tournament victory.

Portland (23-8) last earned a bid in 2020, though that tournament was canceled.

More:Tramel's ScissorTales: Jennie Baranczyk's passion includes taking to the practice court

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: March Madness 2023: Oklahoma to face Portland in NCAA Tournament