Oklahoma women's basketball 2025-26 Season Preview: Does Aaliyah Chavez make Sooners SEC contenders?

Take a Sweet 16 Oklahoma team, return a handful of the most significant players and add arguably the nation's top recruit in guard Aaliyah Chavez. That's the outlook for the Sooners, who suddenly figure to be a legitimate player in the SEC race in 2025-26. Depth could be an issue as a current official roster includes exactly nine players. Here's a rundown on OU.

Oklahoma women's basketball season preview 2025-26

Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk has an intriguing 2025-26 squad. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Starting lineup

Guard: Aaliyah Chavez

Often cited as the top-ranked player in the 2025 recruiting class, the 5-foot-11 Chavez is an elite scorer, distibutor and defender. She can drive, shoot the 3-pointer and run the offense. How high Chavez's ceiling is will be open to question, but she figures to be as good as any of the top freshmen of the last few years, which is quite good. OU can't wait to see her shine.

Guard: Payton Verhulst

A 6-foot-1 guard, Verhulst averaged 14.9 points and 5.7 boards per game for the Sooners last year. She's a 35% 3-point shooter who is also a capable passer. In many ways, Verhulst will be perfect to pair with Chavez. She's steady and experienced and can play on or off the ball as need may be. She's a key part of this impresive Sooner lineup.

Guard: Zya Vann

A 5-foot-9 guard who was teamed with her sister, Skylar, Zya will be a sophomore while her sister graduated. She averaged 6.9 points per game and shot 33% from 3-point range a year ago. Vann played just 15 minutes per game a year ago but showed potential enough to earn the first crack at a starting nod in the new season.

Forward: Sahara Williams

The 6-foot forward averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season for OU. Williams improved her 3-point percentage to 30% a year ago, which could be a significant story to follow. Playing with Beers will open up some opportunities for Williams, who seems likely to grow into a bigger role this season for Oklahoma.

Center: Raegan Beers

The 6-foot-2 forward transferred over from Oregon State before the past season. In her first year as a Sooner, Beers averaged 17.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for Oklahoma. She even stepped out and hit 36% of her 3-point tries. Beers is one of the best pure post players in the sport and figures to make a terrific 1-2 tandem with Chavez in the upcoming season.

Rotation Players

There's only four other players listed on the official roster. Freshmen forwards Brooklyn Stewart and Keziah Lofton will certainly get opportunities to shine, as will returnees Caya Smith (1.2 ppg at guard) and Beatrice Culliton (1.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg at center).

Impact Players

Chavez is about as big of an impact player as is possible. The all-everything guard should hit the court running. Beers, on the other hand, is an established and tremendous post player who is a known quality. The combination of the two promising an exciting season and one that could soar higher than in previous Oklahoma history.

What's your take on Oklahoma's upcoming season? Share your thoughts below in our comments section!