Q&A with Oklahoma Coach Jennie Baranczyk ahead of Sweet 16 matchup against UConn

As the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their Sweet 16 showdown against UConn, head coach Jennie Baranczyk is keeping her team focused on the journey that got them here. In a whirlwind week filled with practices, media attention, and the excitement of advancing, Baranczyk emphasizes the importance of staying grounded and embracing the moment. Facing a powerhouse like UConn presents a challenge, but for Baranczyk and her team, it's another opportunity to measure how far they’ve come and showcase their growth on the national stage.

The Sooners take on UConn in Spokane, Washington on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Q: What have things been like since the win on Monday, both at practice and in meetings?

A: "It's kind of been a whirlwind, actually, and there's been a lot going on. And at the same time, I think our team has really settled in to practice to get better, and obviously focus on really, you know, continuing our season. And that's really been it."

Q: The girls have talked a lot about the joy the team has had this week. Do you feel like that helps offset the nerves in a big moment like this?

A: "I think you're right in terms of that big moment because I think we've had a lot of those moments this year, and we've had it in years past, as we've been trying to really get to this point. So I've seen it probably in the last couple of months, to be honest. But I think, you know, the way that we were able to play. I thought our fans were awesome. I thought our students coming out were incredible. And you could just see it, you could feel it, you could see it. And that's what you want. That's the whole goal of college athletics as a whole. But that's exactly it — that's what you want to keep your focal point on, and not just the moment or even the opponent."

Q: You mentioned after the game that it didn’t feel how you had imagined it would feel because you weren’t in Spokane yet. Now that you're here, does the Sweet 16 feel how you imagined?

A: "Well, I think it does, just from understanding you're still playing, because our world is — there's a lot going on right now outside of, you know, the transfer portal opened, and you have so many other things going on. And so when you realize that all those things are going on, and by the way, you're still playing games, that's a different type of feeling. And so it's an awesome feeling that you're still playing and you're trying to manage a lot of things, obviously, from a coaching perspective. But I don't think that we've hit a 'oh my gosh, wow, we're in the Sweet 16.' I think we're the next game, and we're, let's keep practicing. Let's keep playing. I thought our practice today was awesome, just in terms of being able to step on the floor, and there's still a lot of smiles. They're still working really hard. That's been really fun."

Q: What's your message been to the team this week?

A: "You know, it hasn't been something that's this motivational message or, you know, take down the giant and UConn. It hasn't been anything like that. It's literally just been, we've got to see how far we've come. And, you know, we were lucky enough to be in this incredible conference this year and learn some great lessons. And so that's what you want to be able to take your entire journey to be able to put it into a game. And that's really, that's it."

Q: What have you seen from this UConn team throughout the season, and how do you prepare to face them?

A: "They're phenomenal. I mean, they've been the pinnacle of women's basketball for a number of years. And obviously we've faced South Carolina as well. And even LSU just is coming off of a national championship a couple years ago, and so you're facing these programs a lot, and I think that prepares you hopefully for that moment. But I mean, Connecticut's been, you know, just at the top of the top for so many years, and so many of our players have grown up watching them, so you have that immediate respect, and then obviously they have tremendous talent. But also, at the same time, it's still about you, and you have to be able to show up, you have to be able to focus, and you have to be able to play together, and then you let the scoreboard take care of itself."

Q: How do you make sure, as you're focusing on yourselves, that you don’t have another slow start, particularly shooting the ball?

A: "I don't know if you can ever make sure of anything like that. Obviously, you want to start well, and again, I think you've got to — there's so much energy. You've got to be able to settle in the game faster, because Connecticut's too good to not do that. But at the same time, you know, it's the Sweet 16. It's our first time. It's not their first time. There's going to be some emotion in it, and at some point it will really settle into a game. We just have to be able to have that happen a little earlier."

Q: Paige Bueckers has definitely earned her reputation as one of the best. What makes her so effective, and how can you try to slow her down?

A: "Well, she's special. I mean, she's, you know, an incredible basketball player. What makes her special is one, her length. I think she's a taller guard, but she can shoot the ball, she can pass the ball, she can play defense. She's just, she's just an elite player. So there's certain things that you might not be able to slow down, and then there's other things that you're going to have to be able to do with everybody else, and that's something I think that we've really learned. You know, we've got to give her as many different looks as we can possibly give her, but we have to adjust faster. And we've played, we've faced some really good guards, but Paige is just an absolutely incredible player, so we've got to give her everything we have."

Q: Do you know Geno Auriemma well? Have you interacted with him much over the years?

A: "Not necessarily on a personal level, but obviously you know who he is, and you watched a lot of the teams along the way, so you know incredible respect, but not necessarily a personal connection."

Q: As the head coach at Oklahoma, is it nice to go up against a program like UConn and measure where you are?

A: "We'll find out, you know, and I think that's part of us going to the SEC conference. And that stuff's not limited to women's basketball. That's every sport that we have at Oklahoma. So I think that's exactly where we have to see where we match up. And we've had those moments, and, you know, this is what we talked about too. In January, we really fell down. In March, we got a little closer, but not close enough. And so now, you know, now it's tournament time, so you got to see just how far you've come."

Q: We all saw your daughter in the crowd a couple of years ago. Is she ready to go and bring the energy again?

A: "She is probably more than ready. So I think all of our kids are ready. My husband's probably really ready, but no, I mean, we're going to give you everything that we have. And, you know, I wish we were a little closer to have more of our fans come, because I know that they would be here. And at the same time, I think everybody that's part of our program really understands that we'll give you everything we got."