Florida Gators Travel to No. 10 Oklahoma for Thursday SEC Showdown
Norman, Okla. — With just five games left in the regular season, the Florida Gators women’s basketball team (15-11, 3-8 SEC) is aiming to climb the conference standings. After winning their last two games, the Gators moved up to 13th in the SEC, just behind Mississippi State and Missouri. Florida faces a tough road test against No. 10 Oklahoma (17-6, 5-5 SEC) at the Lloyd Noble Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.
Gators Ride Momentum Into Oklahoma
Florida comes off a 75-69 win over Arkansas, led by Liv McGill, who nearly posted a triple-double with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. Me’Arah O’Neal added 16 points and six rebounds.
The Gators currently rank:
- 7th in SEC field goal percentage (.426)
- 8th in three-point percentage (.320)
Defensively, they hold opponents to .336 FG% (11th in SEC) and .303 3P% (6th).
Preseason All-SEC pick Liv McGill is one of the nation’s top all-around players, averaging 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 5+ assists, a mark only matched by Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo. O’Neal is hitting 44.2% from three-point range in SEC play and has made 18 of her last 35 shots from distance.
Oklahoma: High-Powered Offense and Tough Rebounds
The Sooners were 12-1 in non-conference play, with their only loss to No. 2 UCLA. In SEC play, Oklahoma started strong but has gone 3-5 since, currently scoring 88 points per game—4th highest in the nation.
Key stats for Oklahoma:
- 73.1 field goal attempts per game (2nd most in Division I)
- 45.6% shooting from the field (32nd nationally)
- 49.2 rebounds per game, +11.6 margin (5th in the country)
- 24.9% allowed from three-point range (best in SEC)
Top Sooners players:
- Aaliyah Chaves: 17.5 PPG in SEC games
- Raegan Beers: 16.2 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 61% FG
Historical Matchup: Florida vs. Oklahoma
Florida and Oklahoma have met only three times, with the Sooners winning the last two, including an 89-65 victory in Gainesville on Feb. 27, 2025. The Gators were outrebounded 52-39 in that matchup.
A win Thursday would:
- Improve Florida to 16-11 overall and 4-8 SEC
- Move the Gators past Mississippi State into 12th place and potentially tie Missouri for 11th
- Improve Florida to 2-7 on the road and 2-2 vs. Oklahoma
Projected Florida Starters
| No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Class | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Me’Arah O’Neal | F | 6-4 | So. | Houston, TX |
| 12 | Daviane Mindoudi | G | 6-1 | So. | Bilbao, Spain |
| 13 | Laila Reynolds | G | 6-1 | Jr. | PG County, MD |
| 14 | Caterina Piatti | F | 6-4 | Fr. | Scandiano, Italy |
| 23 | Liv McGill | G | 5-9 | So. | Minneapolis, MN |
Key Florida Stats
- PPG: 73.8 (12th SEC)
- Scoring margin: +8.3
- FG%: .446
- 3P%: .283
- Rebounds/G: 38.5
- Assists/G: 13.5
- Turnovers/G: 16.8
In SEC games:
- 11th in scoring (68.4 PPG)
- 12th in scoring defense (75.5 PPG)
- 6th in 3P% defense (.303)
Milestones:
- Liv McGill scored 1,144 career points, making her the 28th player in program history to reach 1,000.
- McGill has earned multiple SEC Player of the Week honors and was the first Gator named USBWA National Player of the Week.
Projected Oklahoma Starters
| No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Class | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Aaliyah Chaves | G | 5-10 | Fr. | Lubbock, TX |
| 3 | Zya Vann | G | 5-9 | So. | Edmond, OK |
| 6 | Sahara Williams | F | 5-11 | Jr. | Waterloo, IA |
| 12 | Payton Verhulst | G | 6-1 | R-Sr | De Soto, KS |
| 15 | Raegan Beers | C | 6-4 | Sr. | Littleton, CO |
Oklahoma Quick Facts
- Picked 4th in SEC by coaches, 5th by media
- Coach Jennie Baranczyk has led Oklahoma to NCAA Tournament in each of her first four seasons
- Averages 88 PPG, 45.6% FG%, 30.6% 3P%
- SEC opponents limit them to 42.5% FG%, 26.8% 3P%
Game Info
Date: Thursday, Feb. 12
Time: 7 p.m. EST
Location: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK
Listen: WRUF 98.1 FM / 850 AM
Watch: SECN+
Live stats: StatBroadcast
