The last time Indiana and Oklahoma women’s basketball were in the same building, the two programs were in Fort Myers, Florida, for the Fort Myers Tip-Off in November. The Hoosiers and the Sooners were in the same four-team division but did not face each other over the weekend.
That will change Monday night as the two teams face off for the first time in history, fighting for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen.
“We know that we have a challenge ahead of us in a very, very good Oklahoma team,” Teri Moren said Sunday. “We’re in a great position to be at home and play in front of our home crowd, and understand that there’s a task at hand, business to take care of.”
Monday night’s game means a great deal to both teams for various reasons. For No. 4-seed Indiana, it’s a chance to finally be rid of the memories of losing to No. 9-seed Miami in the round of 32 last season and an opportunity to make Mackenzie Holmes, Ariella Wisne and Sara Scalia’s last game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall a good one. For No. 5-seed Oklahoma, it’s an opportunity to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2013 and hand Indiana its first home loss.
Oklahoma, the regular-season Big 12 champion, is no stranger to challenging road environments, playing against Texas and Iowa State in Big 12 play. The Sooners swept Texas — a No. 1 seed in the tournament — in the regular season, taking down the Longhorns 91-87 in Austin.
“I think that game is really preparing us for the game coming up,” senior forward Skylar Vann said. “Because when you’re playing great teams on their home floor, you’re down 10 points already.”
“This is what we play for all year,” senior guard Lexy Keys added.
Vann, a force under the basket, leads the Sooners in both points (15) and rebounds per game (6.9). Keys averages 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and is one of the team’s strongest perimeter presences. She shoots 40 percent from deep and has a team-high 57 3-pointers. She also leads the team with 51 steals.
The Sooners are known for scoring proficiently from multiple areas and moving quickly up and down the court, with 60 percent of their scoring coming within the first 10 seconds of the shot clock.
Indiana is coming off a fast-paced game Saturday afternoon against Fairfield, in which the Stags were able to control the pace in the first half before Indiana took control. The Hoosiers expect a similar effort from the Sooners but feel even…