Oklahoma’s upset of South Carolina on Jan. 22 is one of the biggest moments of the women’s college basketball season so far.
It was highlighted by freshman Aaliyah Chavez scoring 15 of Oklahoma’s 19 points in overtime, then capped off by Sooners coach Jennie Baranczyk issuing a declarative not-safe-for-work statement captured by ESPN cameras in the postgame huddle.
Chavez’s performance coupled with her coach’s viral postgame message put the rest of the sport on notice: Oklahoma is again a contender and on the right night, the Sooners can beat anyone including a blue blood like South Carolina.
‘She got the ball where it needed to go, and she just played,’ Baranczyk said of Chavez after the victory over South Carolina.
Chavez has feuled the Sooners’ success. When she’s at her best, Oklahoma looks like a team capable of making the Final Four for the first time since 2010. When she’s not, they struggle.
When Chavez shoots 32% or better from the floor, Oklahoma is 12-0 this season. That mark includes two overtime victories — over South Carolina and N.C. State — and a neutral site win over rival Oklahoma State. However, when she shoots below 32%, the Sooners are 4-4. Three of those victories were against mid-major opponents, while all four defeats were in Quad 1 games to nationally ranked teams — UCLA, LSU, Kentucky and Ole Miss.
Oklahoma has only lost once this season when Chavez scores north of 20 points. She had 26 in a five-point loss to Ole Miss. The rookie did commit a season-high seven turnovers in that game though. And the Sooners losses to UCLA and LSU featured Chavez’s worst shooting performances of the season — 25% and 21.4% from the floor, respectively.
So, the plan for beating Oklahoma seems simple: stop Chavez.
But as South Carolina coach Dawn Staley learned last week, that’s easier said than done as the native of Lubbock, Texas, lit up her Gamecocks for 26 points and eight assists. The victory gave Oklahoma its third win over a top-two ranked opponent in program history.
‘She was great, she ran her team, took big shots and delivered the ball,’ Staley said of Chavez. ‘Everything that you want a point guard to do, she’s having a great freshman year.’
Chavez is the latest superstar freshman to emerge as the bus driver for her team. Since 2009, she’s one of six players to average at least 19 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. The others in that group are Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, Texas A&M’s Chennedy Carter, Ohio State’s Kelsey Mitchell and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo.
To lead a team as a rookie, a player needs to have the talent and the trust of her head coach and teammates. Chavez has that from Baranczyk and the Sooners.
“She just craves getting better, and she craves just playing. And she has a fun, really dynamic ability to just shine,” Baranczyk said in November, after Oklahoma won at Western Carolina. “And it’s not just when she scores. She throws some really nice passes and works her tail off on the defensive end. You can talk through some things on the floor and she understands it. She’s got an incredible basketball IQ.”
Depending on which recruiting service you looked at, Chavez was either the first or second ranked recruit in the 2025 class, swapping or sharing the top spot with USC’s Jazzy Davidson. She was a McDonald’s All-American, MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic and Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. She chose the Sooners over dozens of offers, including South Carolina, LSU, UCLA, Texas Tech and Texas.
Back in November in the bowels of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee, North Carolina — after she tallied 19 points, six rebounds and five assists in a lopsided win over Western Carolina — Chavez explained what it’s like playing for Baranczyk, who trusts her to make key decisions in running the offense.
“She gives all of us the green light. Now, it’s what you do with it,” Chavez told USA Today Sports. “At the end of the game, she trusts me to make sure I’m making the right play. And I love that, just because we’ve had that connection for a while now. So, I’m just playing as hard as I can each and every game.”
Of course, it’s not just Chavez that has made Oklahoma a contender. Peyton Verhulst is a fifth-year guard who brings veteran experience, Zya Vann has made a sophomore leap, Sahara Williams has played with Team USA and Raegan Beers, a former All-American, is a double-double machine.
But for better or for worse, this Oklahoma team belongs to Chavez. She has the keys to their success. The Sooners will go as far as she can take them.
