Jennie Baranczyk's squad taking huge winning streak into Stillwater

In late December, things simply didn't look good for Jennie Baranczyk's squad heading into conference play. The Sooners were 6-5 and had lost three-straight games, capped off by an embarrassing 79-70 home loss against Southern in their final non-conference contest.

It was reasonable to be pessimistic about the Sooners' chances to be competitive in Big 12 play. Fast forward a few weeks, and the Sooners haven't just been competitive.

They've been dominant.

The Sooners have won eight of their nine games since that loss to Southern on Dec. 22, and all of those games have come against conference opponents. They're currently on a five-game winning streak, which includes a 91-87 over then-No. 10 Texas on the road and, most recently, a stunning 66-63 win over No. 2 Kansas State on Wednesday. All of a sudden, the Sooners are 14-6 and the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 standings.

There's reason to be confident the Sooners can continue that winning streak this weekend. Though it's on the road against a bitter rival, the Sooners face an Oklahoma State team (11-10, 4-6) that's lost its last four games, with three of them coming by double digits. That game is set for 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.

Here's a look at what's been working for the Sooners in recent weeks:

With the Sooners losing Taylor Robertson, Madi Williams and Ana Llanusa from last year's squad, many looked for Vann to step up this year. It made sense — she had won Big 12 Sixth Player of the Year each of the past two seasons, and she was heading into her senior year.

Since conference play began, she leads the team with 17.2 points per game on 55% shooting from the floor and 39% from the 3-point line, and she's also averaging a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Vann ranks fifth in the Big 12 in scoring per game and seventh in rebounds.

"Sky just continues to be really steady for us, period," Baranczyk said, "and I think that's where that some of that production has gone. There are games where she plays 25 minutes and there's been games where she's had to play 35 minutes. I think that's huge. I also attribute a lot of her success to (OU point guard Nevaeh Tot), because I think Nevaeh's management has been really good in putting people in good positions...

"Sky's always had somebody she's played well with, whether that was Madi or Liz (Scott). It's taken a little bit of time and I think early on in the season we were like, 'OK Sky, figure it out yourself.' Now she's finding that flow within the flow."

Vann has particularly been effective during this five-game winning streak. During that span, she's averaged nearly 21 points per game on 58% shooting. It's been a process for Vann, who struggled at times early in the season as the Sooners worked to find a rhythm.

For Baranczyk, the goal has been to push Vann to be more consistent. And that's what's happening now for the Sooners.

"It's not the production, it's not the statistics that you want to continue to see," Baranczyk said. "It's the every day part of the process that you continue to push her. I don't know if I've ever been as hard on somebody as I am on her. But you also look at somebody like her, and she needs truth told to her and you've gotta be able to tell it. And that's not always an easy thing. And I think she's really blossomed."

This isn't last year's Sooners, when they ranked first in the Big 12 in offense and dead-last in defense. This year's team has won by relying on its defense.

Since the start of conference play, the Sooners rank fourth in opponent scoring (64.2 points per game) and third in opponent field-goal percentage (37.8%). The Sooners also lead the conference in total rebounding and rank second in defensive rebounds. Only two of the Sooners' nine conference opponents have scored more than 65 points.

While this year's team ranks fourth in scoring (71 points per game), the effort and focus defensively has been a real boost.

"Some of the areas I feel like we've gotten better at is really helping on dribble penetration and knowing where our help comes from," Baranczyk said. "I think you could see a difference when we were guarding K-State, we were a little too — not too aggressive, but flying out and we weren't in control on our close-outs. I feel like we did a better job as the game went on at being in contain mode."

— Lexy Keys, who transferred after four seasons with the Cowgirls, has been a tremendous addition for the Sooners. She's third on the team in scoring during conference play (8.8 points per game) while shooting 37% from the 3-point line, and she's averaging over two steals per game.

— The Sooners, unlike last year, have struggled from the 3-point line, ranking ninth in total makes (60) and 12th in 3-point percentage (27.5%). However, they've made up for it by limiting turnovers. They're averaging a Big 12-best 12.1 turnovers per game and their 1.61 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in the conference.

— Payton Verhuist, a transfer from Louisville, has been a mainstay in the starting lineup, averaging 11 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

— As Baranczyk mentioned, Tot has excelled as the Sooners' floor general. While she leads the team in total assists (49), she only has 11 turnovers. Four other Sooners have more turnovers.