How high can Sooners surge?

The gals wearing burnt orange walked into the postgame press conference looking glassy-eyed.

A 20-point loss tends to have that effect, but there was something different in those looks after what the Oklahoma women’s basketball team did to Texas on Sunday afternoon. Sure, the Longhorns knew they were facing a good team. Sure, they knew the task of winning in Norman was a big one.

But you could tell — they had no idea just how good the Sooners are.

And we’re starting to see that these Sooners are very, very good.

They have emerged as the clear favorite in the Big 12, though a tough road game at Baylor looms later this week. But if OU wins in Waco, then on Saturday against Missouri, it will set up a game with monster ramifications.

Tennessee comes to town next Monday.

The Volunteers are the gold standard in women’s college basketball. They have championships. They have prestige. They have the best coach in the game. They are the program by which every other one is measured.

Sure, this season, Connecticut is in a class by itself, but even the Huskies have to measure themselves against the Vols.

The Sooners will have a chance to do the same next week. OU has played Tennessee three times, all coming since 2003 and the Sherri Coale-led resurgence of the program. The Vols have won all three games, and they’ve won by an average of 15 points. Had it not been for a three-point game last season, the average margin would’ve been much, much bigger.