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The Jennie Baranczyk era at Oklahoma has added another successful milestone.

The Sooners on Sunday landed an NCAA Tournament bid for the fourth consecutive year, and will host the first- and second-round games at Lloyd Noble Center for the second time in Baranczyk’s four seasons at the helm in Norman.

Oklahoma is 25-7 overall and drew a No. 3 seed, the program's highest since reaching the Final Four in 2010. The Sooners will play Saturday against 14-seed Florida Gulf Coast (30-3). The Eagles won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and conference tournament, their ninth straight conference crown and 12th in the last 14 years. Emani Jefferson was both the ASUN Player of the Year and Tournament MVP.

The second-round matchup would be Monday between the winner of Iowa (22-10) and Murray State (25-7). The women's tournament first and second rounds run Friday through Monday. Tip times will be announced later.

"I feel like the connection of our team has been really incredible," Baranczyk said Sunday nighgt. "I like the balance of our team. I like that we've had to find ways to win different. We've had to play different types of opponents. You know, playing Georgia is different than playing Kentucky. That's different than playing South Carolina. So it stretches you. And you know, there's so many good teams in the SEC. So for us, not only just recently, but I really think this conference has stretched us, and you really hope that you get to see that growth as you head into the NCAA Tournament."

OU’s first season as a member of the powerful Southeastern Conference was an outrageous success as the team finished with an 11-5 regular-season record and went 2-1 in SEC Tournament play. Of Oklahoma’s six total conference losses, five were against teams ranked in the top 12 at the time, and the Sooners logged three ranked wins in league play. OU's SEC success included a nine-game winning streak that extended into the conference tournament.

Oklahoma won six games in a row twice in non-conference play as the team was 12-1 going into SEC play.

The Sooners went into the postseason ranked No. 13 in the NCAA NET rankings. OU was projected as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA bracket reveal on Feb. 27. Baranczyk's squad reached as high as No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 in November, and finished the regular season at No. 11.

OU has been idle since losing 93-75 to No. 2 overall NCAA seed South Carolina in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, SC — way back on March 8.

How to Watch Oklahoma vs. FGCU NCAA Tournament Game

When: Saturday, March 22 Where: Norman Time: Approximately 1:30 p.m. Channel: ESPNU

"Last week was a hard week for them, and we were really intentional about being able to to practice really hard," Baranczyk said Sunday night. "And sometimes you practice harder than actual games are ... and we had a few days last week where it wasn't, 'Hey, everybody, rest up and let's go.' It was, 'We're still a really hungry group.' I mean, this, this team is a it's a fun team. And you can see that."

The SEC landed 10 teams in this year’s bracket and has won three consecutive national championships (two by South Carolina, one by LSU) and four of the last seven.

Baranczyk’s OU squad has known nothing but success since the former Iowa Hawkeye forward came to Norman from Drake after the 2020-21 season ended with the Sooners out of the postseason for the second straight full season under Sherri Coale.

The Sooners have been led all season by 6-foot-4 center Raegan Beers, a transfer from Oregon State who averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game this year. Beers was first-team All-SEC and made several All-America lists. Beers shoots .660 from the floor this season. Beers posted 11 double-doubles in her first season as a Sooner.

Senior Payton Verhulst, a 6-1 senior guard and former Louisville transfer, earned second-team All-SEC honors after earning first-team All-Big 12 last year. Verhulst had a career-high 38 points in an SEC game against Missouri and recorded a 29-10-10 triple double against No. 13-ranked Duke. Verhulst averages 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

Sahara Williams is third in the Sooners’ balanced scoring attack at 10.8 points per game, giving OU three McDonald's All-Americans in its starting five.

Three-time All-Big 12 forward and 2024 Big 12 Player of the Year Skylar Vann averages 9.3 points per game, while sister Zya Vann averages 7.1. Liz Scott (6.7), Lexy Keys (5.6), Reyna Scott (4.8) and sixth-year senior Nevaeh Tot (2.9) also regularly contribute to the offense.

A $90 million bond for Moore Norman Technology Center was approved by voters on Tuesday.

According to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board, the bond passed with 51.69%, or 3,845, of the 7,438 votes. 48.31%, or 3,593 voters, voted against the bond.

According to a frequently asked questions page on the Moore Norman Technology website, the percentage for voters to support the bond election is 50% plus 1.

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Eligible voters were residents in the Moore Norman Technology Center district, which includes Norman, Moore and south Oklahoma City.

According to the ballot language, Moore Norman Technology Center will be able to borrow $90 million and levy a tax to cover the principal and issuance costs and interest. The ballot language states that the bond’s proceeds will be used for improvements such as the construction and equipment of classroom buildings, the construction of safe rooms and the remodeling and renovation of existing buildings.

The bond will also fund the center’s “Student Investment Plan,” which would upgrade and maintain curriculum including construction, electrical, HVAC, architectural and mechanical design, and aviation maintenance technology; expand and modernize healthcare programs; and upgrade equipment, technology and construction for a Business Workforce Development Training Center, according to the Moore Norman Technology Center’s website.

According to the website, Moore Norman Technology Center turns away qualified applicants due to limited classroom capacity every year, and placed 25% of qualified applicants on waitlists in the past year.

“We have set our sights on providing a seat for every qualified student by 2033. This ambitious goal reflects a bold commitment to our students, community and regional workforce,” the website reads. “To achieve this goal, we must address the capacity challenges which are a direct result of our growing success and the increased demand for skilled workers in our community.”

The investment will require a 1.25% property tax increase of around $40 per year per average household for ten years, the website notes.

Preliminary work on the projects will begin in the fall, and work for major projects will begin in 2026 with targeted completion expected for 2033, according to the website’s “Frequently Asked Questions” section.

On Friday, Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development and Women in Action for All Norman held a community town hall at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church to discuss both the University North Park entertainment district petition and the Moore Norman Technology Center bond. Around 150 residents were in attendance, including Brian Ruttman, Moore Norman Technology Center superintendent and CEO.

Ruttman said the center is expected to turn away 30% of applicants in 2025, affirming his belief in the need for the bond to provide training.

“That is not acceptable for any student that is qualified to get into our programs to not be in there,” Ruttman said. “By 2033, we want a seat for every qualified student … We know how sensitive everyone is to taxation, but we feel like this is something that adds value to our community (and) adds value to the workforce that we’ll be providing for the future.”

This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Ismael Lele.

Norman

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Michigan Wolverines women’s gymnastics, 7:15 p.m. Friday: OU women’s gymnastics will face the Wolverines at McCasland Field House. Tickets are available online and are $10 for adults, $8 for youth and senior tickets and OU students get in free with a student ID.

Norman Farm Market, 8 a.m to 1 p.m. Saturday: Check out local vendors selling everything from fresh produce to handcrafted goods at The Well in downtown Norman Saturday morning.

Saturday Morn at the Roastery, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday: Stop by Yellow Dog Coffee Company for a cup of coffee and a morning of live music by local singer-songwriter Jenna McLaughlin.

Electric Sunrise, Baileyboy & LETR at The Deli, 9 p.m. Saturday: Stop by The Deli this Saturday. Doors open at 9 p.m. with Oklahoma City band Electric Sunrise kicking off the show at 10 p.m. Norman band Baileyboy is set to perform at 11:15 and LETR will follow at 12:15 a.m. The show is 21 and up and tickets are $5 at the door.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Sam Houston Bearkats baseball, 6:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: The Oklahoma Sooners baseball team will take on the Sam Houston Bearkats this weekend at the L. Dale Mitchell Park. Tickets are available online and OU students get in free with a student ID.

“Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny,” 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday: OU students will perform “Rise & Fall of the City of Mahagonny” at Reynolds Performing Arts Center this weekend. This satirical opera, performed in English, is about three fugitives breaking down in the middle of No-Man's Land and deciding to start their own city populated by fortune seekers, prostitutes, and shady dealers. The show contains adult themes and violence. Tickets are available online and range from $12 to $29.

Oklahoma City

First Friday Gallery Walk, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday: This free, pet-friendly event highlights more than 80 artists and 25 businesses and galleries. The event will have live music by Chase Kerby and extended hours for all businesses and boutiques in the Paseo District.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers basketball, 7 p.m. Friday: The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Portland Trail Blazers this Friday at the Paycom Center. Tickets are available online starting at $12.

Myriad in Motion Yoga, 9 a.m. Saturday: Stop by the Devon Lawn at the Myriad Botanical Gardens for a free outdoor yoga class. Classes are open to all levels but recommended for guests 16 and up.

Pop-up Shops at the Dock, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday: Sailor & The Dock will have 10 unique pop-up shops joining its current lineup of 14 local vendors this Saturday. From one-of-a-kind finds to exclusive deals, there’s something for everyone. The first customer at any pop-up shop will receive a free door prize.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets basketball, noon Sunday: The Oklahoma City Thunder will face the Denver Nuggets this Sunday at the Paycom Center. Tickets are available online starting at $36.

Allie Clift and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.

NORMAN — Former OU football quarterback and member of the 2000 national championship team Patrick Fletcher died Monday, a university spokesman confirmed to The Oklahoman.

Fletcher appeared in 28 games at OU from 1998-2000. He tossed for 364 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons.

Notably, Fletcher executed a fake field goal against Texas A&M in 1999.

"Heartbreaking news today, we lost Patrick Fletcher last night," former OU coach Bob Stoops wrote on X. "An always happy, helpful, full of love and Sooner through and through. I loved that guy. Please pray for Diana and the entire Fletcher family. RIP P Fletch."

“Every time I see him, today when I see him," former head coach Bob Stoops recalled to The Oklahoman in 2013, "I grab him, give him a big hug him, ‘You saved my butt buddy. You’re the best.’ He knows it. He’ll tell you.”

Fletcher was locker neighbors with former Sooners quarterback Josh Heupel when he was his backup in 1999.

"Man….I was never teammates with Patrick Fletcher," former Sooners fullback J.D. Runnels wrote in a social media post on X, "but he always made me feel like I was. He will be missed, the truest Sooner. RIP P Fletch."

NORMAN, Okla. —

A proposed turnpike through Norman was back to square one on Wednesday.

OTA resumes Cleveland County turnpike plans after state Supreme Court ruling

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said the route for ACCESS Oklahoma's southern extension is moving, and it wants the public's input as they start the project.

"Anyone who drives I-35 can verify how congested it is, especially in the morning rush hour and the afternoon," Terri Angier, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, said.

ACCESS Oklahoma's controversial route has been the center of uproar in the last two years. Now, it is back to the beginning.

The OTA said the goal of the new road is to take traffic off of Interstate 35.

"This facility has to help with alleviating some of that traffic," Angier said.

>> Video Below: OTA resumes Cleveland County turnpike plans after state Supreme Court ruling

The map of the proposed route has been changed. The OTA said the route doesn't comply with some requirements from the Bureau of Reclamation due to how close it is to Lake Thunderbird.

The route will move west, closer to I-35.

OTA said it wants help from the public to decide where the route will go.

"It's an area between I-35 and Lake Thunderbird, but the pinpointing is exactly where we want to slow down and work with the public so we can together decide that," Angier said.

The agency said it will face barriers, like avoiding developments popping up all across Norman.

"It's sometimes a Catch-22, the fact that an area is doing great and growing," Angier said. "Therefore, I-35 not meeting those needs again."

>> Video Below: 'Really shocked': Landowners find out OTA could use eminent domain to take their property for turnpike

The OTA is also working to avoid properties that could stand where the proposed route is drawn.

"We’re sensitive to specifically property owners being in the way, so hopefully once we work with them, we can minimize those impacts, and if there are in the path of the final alignment, we want them to know all their options," Angier said.

The OTA said it is planning a May meeting for public input.

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