No. 1 Oklahoma is set to begin its road to nationals this weekend. The Sooners open regional play on Friday, when they face No. 16 Cal, Maryland and the winner of NC State and New Hampshire.
The top two teams will advance to the second round of regionals on Saturday. They will face the top two teams from the other side of the region, which includes Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri and Iowa State.
Oklahoma has been battling injury after injury all season long. The Sooners are coming off a bye week, which has given them time to regroup, but remain battered.
“I don’t think we’re 100 percent,” head coach K.J. Kindler said. "We are getting better, but we are still dealing with some things. It’s a daily thing. We just need to check it each day and see where everyone’s at. We’re not just recovering from injuries during the season, we’re also running into new ones.”
Despite the adversity, Oklahoma owns a 20-0 record and the top seed in the tournament. The Sooners have rings on their minds.
"They have a goal, a very big goal,” said Kindler. “But to complete the mission it has to be a daily grind. I think we need to push through some things and try to remember where we’re going and what we want to do."
For some, this scene may seem all too familiar. One year ago, the Sooners were entering regional play as the No. 1 seed. Oklahoma eventually fell just short, finishing second to No. 2 UCLA at the hands of a perfect 10 floor routine.
This year, UCLA has claimed the No. 2 seed again, and the Bruins will not be entering the tournament without motivation of their own. UCLA was handed their first loss of the season last month in the Lloyd Noble Center.
Nonetheless, Kindler is not particularly worried about déjà vu.
“This is a completely different team," Kindler said. "We’ve had different obstacles and much more adversity than our team did last year. The question is — will that adversity serve us well at the end of the day?”
One key difference for the Sooners is freshman superstar Olivia Trautman. The Big 12 Newcomer of the Year has had an incredible freshman season, including a meet-clinching 9.95 on floor against UCLA. Perhaps Trautman was the missing link last season
“She stands out,” said Kindler of her freshman phenom. “I think her contributions are hugely important to our success. I think people will be excited to see her. She’s fun to watch. The fans who haven’t had a chance to see her are going to get a real treat.”
The meet will take place at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, April 5 in Athens, Georgia.
