Gators Tangle with No. 7/8 Oklahoma Thursday in the Second Round of the SEC Tournament

Thursday, March 5

1:30 pm

Florida Gators

Oklahoma

Alexia Dizeko scores against Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament

Gators Tangle with No. 7/8 Oklahoma Thursday in the Second Round of the SEC Tournament

Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Pregame Notes

By: John Maxwell

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Florida Women's Basketball Team is one step closer to its goal of making the NCAAs following Wednesday's 86-68 victory over Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Next up is a Thursday, March 5 meeting with five-seed Oklahoma. The Sooners are ranked seventh in the nation by the Associated Press, and eighth in the USA Today coaches' poll. Tip at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena is at 1:30 p.m. EST.

The Gators are making a strong case for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament as they are 5-3 in their last eight games, including a win over Ole Miss (20 in NET through games of March 3), and a pair of victories over Mississippi State (39 in NET). Two of those recent losses came by the thinnest of margins — a seven-point road loss to Oklahoma (12 in NET) and a five-point loss to Alabama (27 in NET).

Sophomore point guard Liv McGill, fresh off of her selection to the All-SEC First Team, continues to post stat lines that few in the country have seen. In Wednesday's win over Mississippi she scored 22 points and added 10 assists. That is her third game of the season with at least 20 points and 10 assists, which is more than any other player in the nation. It was also the Minneapolis, Minn. native's 12th game with at least 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists — again, more than any other player in the nation.

Me'Arah O'Neal has been Florida's most efficient offensive performer this season. Through games of March 2, she ranks fifth in the SEC with an offensive efficiency rating of 126.6 points per 100 possessions. During the team's current eight-game hot streak, she is connecting on 56.5 percent of her field goal attempts and 50.0 percent from three-point range.

The Sooners have won six straight games entering the SEC Tournament, but five of those six wins have been by eight points or less. Oklahoma boasts one of the most potent offenses in the country. The team averages 87.1 points per game, which is the fourth highest figure among Division I programs. The Sooners connect on 45.4 percent of their field goal attempts on the season and 29.7 percent from three-point range (Side note … over the last eight games, Florida is making 45.1 percent of its field goal attempts, and 32.1 percent from three-point range). Oklahoma also is one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, outrebounding the opposition by 12.5 per game—the fourth highest differential in D-I.

Six different Sooners on the season are scoring in double figures led by Aaliyah Chavez's 18.4 points per game. Raegan Beers is averaging a 15.9 points, 10.5-rebound double-double on the year, and Sahara Williams averages 12.5 points and 7.9 boards.

Florida and Oklahoma have squared off against one another just four times in their history, with the Sooners winning the last three, including an 81-74 decision on Feb. 12 of this year. The Gators led for more than 28 minutes of the game as Liv McGill scored 29 points to lead all scorers, but the Sooners outscored Florida 27-17 in the fourth quarter to escape with the win.