NCAA Softball Tournament committee 'constantly' had Texas over OU as No. 1 seed

NORMAN — Entering Sunday's 2024 NCAA softball tournament selection show, one question remained for OU softball.

Were the Sooners (49-6), attempting to win their fourth consecutive national championship, going to rank as the top overall seed for the sixth straight season or be selected behind Texas at No. 2? OU was selected as the No. 2 seed, despite Saturday’s 5-1 OU win over the Longhorns to win the Big 12 Tournament title.

NCAA Committee Chair Kurt McGuffin said the committee "constantly" ranked the Longhorns as the top seed. Texas garnered 16 top 25 wins over the course of the season, while OU finished with nine ranked wins. McGuffin also cited the Longhorns' nonconference schedule as a factor in the committee's decision.

"Two great teams that obviously know each other really well," McGuffin said on a conference call following the selection show. "I think the deciding factor was some of the metrics that we use."

OU will host Boston, Cleveland State and Oregon at Love’s Field, beginning with a matchup against the Vikings at 7 p.m. Friday.

"Even though there was the championship final, we thought Texas still consistently should be in that No. 1 spot," McGuffin said.

More: How OU softball's Alyssa Brito is encouraging girls to remain involved in sports

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NCAA softball committee 'constantly' had Texas over OU as No. 1 seed