Oklahoma

South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – #13 Oklahoma

Published

12 months ago

January 18, 2025

South Carolina women's basketball: Five Things to Watch – #13 Oklahoma

#2 South Carolina and #13 Oklahoma meet for the first time as conference rivals on Sunday. Find out how to watch and what to watch for.

1. When in doubt, Joyce Edwards
Every game seems to be another milestone in Joyce Edwards’s development., and she continues to get better an better. The latest milestone was scoring 11 of her career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to help turn a four-point lead into an 18-point win.

Edwards has said that she understood her biggest adjustment in college would be the physicality. But knowing that and experiencing it are two different things.

“I feel like that was my biggest adjustment, actually,” Edwards said. “Just playing for the Gamecocks, with the Highlighters, helped me improve that. They’re physical. My teammates are physical as well, so I get it every day in practice. Coming out in the game, you just get better every day and eventually you get used to it.”

Now she is posting up, drawing fouls, and finishing through contact. Since SEC play began, Edwards has emerged as one of the Gamecocks’ go-to players when they need a bucket.

Edwards is still improving, which makes the future even more exciting. She can be a better rebounder. She has three-point range, but Edwards’ jump shot isn’t consistent enough yet to balance her driving ability. The future is very bright.

[Win tickets: South Carolina-LSU WBB]

2. Handling Beers
Oklahoma made a splash in the offseason when the Sooners brought in transfer Raegan Beers, one of the top available players in the portal.

Coach Jennie Baranczyk knew that to compete in the SEC she would need a post presence to supplement her guard-oriented, fast-paced style. Enter the 6-4 Beers, who leads the Sooners with 16.5 points and 8.8 rebounds this season.

South Carolina has played Beers before. Last season Beers put up 16 points and 8 rebounds for Oregon State in a 70-58 loss to South Carolina in the Elite Eight in Albany

Kamilla Cardoso guarded Beers for most of that game, with Sania Feagin picking up the rest. Feagin struggled in that game, but she has gotten better as a defender since then. The Gamecocks didn’t double much, but when they did they were effective.

Beers is a little bit like Iowa State’s Audi Crooks. She isn’t super athletic and doesn’t move especially well, but once she gets the ball in the low post her footwork and shooting touch are elite. (“She’s a pretty big woman,” Edwards deadpanned.)

Earlier this season, South Carolina defended Crooks by fronting her and not letting her get the ball in position to make a play. It was extremely effective, but largely because of Ashlyn Watkins. South Carolina will still try to deny Beers the ball in her spots, but it will look different without Watkins.

“We’ve got to do a lot of our work early,” Edwards said. “Be physical without fouling.”

Don’t be surprised if Staley uses Adhel Tac or Sakima Walker, who are both 6-6, to put some size on Beers. She’ll also try to make Beers play defense and hopefully get in foul trouble.

3. Tessa Time?
Someone on the message board (sorry, I don’t remember who) observed that every time we start to worry that a player has had a couple of quiet games, she responds with a big one. Using that logic, Tessa Johnson is due for a breakout.

Johnson began SEC play with three consecutive double-figure games, including a career-high 22 at Mississippi State. But in the last two games, she has just nine points total on 3-7 shooting.

Johnson tends to let the game come to her, which has led to few shot attempts. She might need to be more assertive because she’s too good a scorer not to shoot more.

(Coincidentally, while writing this I’m watching the Oregon State game from last season to see how the Gamecocks guarded Beers. Johnson scored a team-high 15 in that game, including a clutch three-point play that basically won the game. More of that, Tessa.)

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4. Availability report
The first availability report for Sunday’s game comes out a little after 8:00pm ET on Saturday.

South Carolina’s availability report for its last game was as clean as it will be for the rest of the season. Only Ahlyn Watkins was listed.

Beers was the only player listed for Oklahoma. She was a Game Time Decision. That decision was for Beers to start and play her normal minutes.

5. Scouting the Sooners
Beers has her own section, but Oklahoma’s veteran guards have been the heart of the team going back to the Big 12.

Skylar Vann was the Big 12 Co-Player of the Year last season, although her numbers have dropped to 9.4 points and 4.8 rebounds this season. Sahara Williams (10.1 points) was honorable mention All-Big 12 last season.

But the Sooners’ best player might be point guard Payton Verhulst. She was first-team All-Big 12 last season and is better this season, averaging 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Verhulst is also coming in off a career-high 38 points against Missouri on Thursday.

“I say that they’re relentless,” Staley said. “I say that they go end-to-end very quickly and get quick shots up, and that’s hard. They all can score the basketball, and they got a point guard that facilitates and runs their team. It’s got high IQ. When you have the head of the snake with teams like that, they’re just hard to beat with all the talent that they have.”

Even with Beers slowing the tempo slightly, Oklahoma still scores 88.1 points per game, fourth in the country, and attempts 26.2 threes (tied for 20th in the nation), hitting 33.1% for 8.7 per game.

The Ws
Who: #2 South Carolina (17-1, 5-0) vs #13 Oklahoma (15-3, 3-2)
When: 3:00 ET, Sunday, January 19
Where: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, SC
Watch: ESPN

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Oklahoma

Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In

Published

4 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Three Big 12 Transfers Oklahoma State Is Reportedly Interested In

PORTAL TRACKER

Oklahoma State’s newly constructed staff got on the board Saturday, picking up portal commitments on offense and special special teams, so how about some defense?

Three Big 12 defenders have been linked with Oklahoma State via the transfer portal over the past few days, including a pair of former OK Preps standouts. Here’s a look.

Kanijal Thomas, CB, Kansas State

Thomas is an Oklahoman, playing his high school ball at Del City. He visited Stillwater on Saturday, according to On3.

He was a redshirt sophomore for the Wildcats in 2025, playing in seven games as a true freshman in 2023 before an injury saw his sophomore season end two games in.

Thomas played in eight games at K-State in 2025, finishing the year with five tackles, a PBU and a forced fumble. According to PFF, he gave up four catches for 21 yards this season on seven targets.

Now listed at 5-foot-11, 186 pounds, Thomas was a three-star prospect coming out of Del City in the 2023 class. He picked K-State over offers from OSU, Texas Tech, Iowa State and others.

Maurion Horn, CB, Texas Tech

Another Oklahoma kid, Maurion Horn has spent the past four seasons in Lubbock, where he has played in 30 games during that time. According to 247Sports, Horn will visit Stillwater on Monday.

He started all of Tech’s games in 2024, finishing that season with 56 tackles, three tackles for loss and five pass breakups. He played in seven games and dealt with some sort of injury, appearing on Tech’s availability report in Weeks 4, 14 and 15.

Horn has been targeted 88 times in his career, per PFF, where he has allowed just 47 catches.

He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of Broken Arrow. He ended up picking Tech over offers from OSU, OU, Texas, Baylor, Arkansas and others.

Braylon Rigsby, Edge, Texas Tech

Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Braylon Rigsby will join his Texas Tech teammate in Stillwater on Monday, according to 247Sports.

He’s played in 26 games across the past two seasons in Lubbock, accumulating 25 tackles and three tackles for loss during that time.

Per PFF, Rigsby has 21 QB pressures in his career to go with two QB hits.

He hails from Woodsville, Texas, which is near the Louisiana border. Rigsby was a three-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, coming in as the No. 861 player in the 247Sports Composite ranking.

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Oklahoma

Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma

Published

16 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Capture of Nicolas Maduro: What it could mean for Oklahoma

Elite Delta Force captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife about 2 a.m. Saturday morning.

It happened in the Caracas, the capitol of Venezuela.

Social media posts how strikes ordered by President Trump into Venezuela and its military bases.

News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell said the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America has not always been smooth and adds so many dominos will fall as a result.

“Venezuela is the beachhead for our adversaries that’s Cuba and Russia and China and Iran and it looks as if this latest situation where that they were assembling Iran swift attack boats that was sort of the last straw,” said Mitchell.

Retired war correspondent Mike Boettcher said the planning on capturing Maduro began in mid-December.

He adds Venezuela is a massive oil supplier whose oil has been taken off the market for years because of sanctions.

He has concerns about what comes next.

“That disrupts a lot of things.It even has an effect on the war in Ukraine, as Russia, you know, has used higher oil revenue because Venezuela’s oil was off the market.Oil prices went up.It helps fund the war in Ukraine,” said Boettcher.

The ramifications could even reach Oklahoma.

“China gets a 30 percent discount on the oil.If Venezuela goes for a more legitimate government and the sanctions are lifting, then they’re flooding the oil markets and that means bad news for the Oklahoma economy,” added Mitchell.

Following the capture of Maduro, President Trump said the U.S. will take control of the oil reserves in Venezuela.

Sources also say there are plans from the current administration to recruit American companies to invest billions of dollars in their oil industry.

A verified video shows the current state of Venezuela after the military operation.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal

Published

7 days ago

December 29, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma State expected to lose talented EDGE to transfer portal

Oklahoma State EDGE Kyran Duhon plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. Duhon was a member of the 2024 recruiting class.

Duhon spent one year at Oklahoma State, logged 16 total tackles (eight solo) across nine games. He began his career at UTEP, where he had a productive true freshman season, Duhon finished 2024 with 43 total tackles, including seven sacks and two PBUs.

At UTEP, his one season there resulted in second team All-Conference USA honors. He was also named to the On3 True Freshman All-America Team as well as the the Conference USA All-Freshman team.

However, Duhon’s stay in Stillwater didn’t go as expected. Oklahoma State finished the season with a 1-11 record, which included the Cowboys firing longtime head coach Mike Gundy after a 1-2 start. Doug Meacham was named interim head coach but ended the year 0-9.

Eric Morris has since been named as the program’s next head coach. He comes from North Texas, which finished with an 11-2 record and a trip to the American Conference championship game this past season. However, it doesn’t appear that Duhon will be sticking around during the changing of the guard at Oklahoma State this offseason.

Before college, Duhon was the No. 1,706 overall player in the class, and was recruited as the the No. 165 linebacker during the cycle, per the Rivals Industry Rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was ranked as the No. 242 overall player out of Texas.

Once the NCAA transfer portal opens on Jan. 2, players can officially enter their names in the NCAA transfer portal and go on to initiate contact with their preferred schools. The portal will be open for 15 days and close on Jan. 16.

Notably, players who are on teams competing in the national championship game are allowed five extra days to make their portal decision. The College Football Playoff championship game will be played on Jan. 19, so the players on those teams will be allowed until Jan. 24 to enter the portal and choose their next school.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

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