KEEP AN EYE ON

On the run:

There’s been a recurring theme this season of teams trying — unsuccessfully, of course — to out-run and out-maneuver UConn.

“Their transition is fantastic,” Seton Hall coach Anthony Bozzella said following a 99-61 loss to the Huskies on Dec. 8. “It’s things we look at and we study. They’re unselfish; they run to their spots correctly. … You watch UConn, and they play transitionally exceptionally well because they run exceptionally hard.” The proper blend of talent, chemistry and athleticism has fueled the Huskies’ success in the open court. On average, they’ve outscored opponents 17-6 in fast-break points. “We are good in transition because all five of our players, especially our big guys, can handle the ball,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “When (Napheesa Collier) gets the ball and goes up the floor, or we throw it to anybody that catches it, they can make a play for somebody else — that’s unusual. That’s a big part of our game.

“If you have to walk the ball up the floor and play against a halfcourt defense for any long stretch of time, that’s not really an easy game to play in.”

That won’t be a concern Wednesday because Oklahoma prefers to push the tempo. The Sooners are averaging 77.7 points per game on offense while allowing 78.6.

History at a glance:

Oklahoma has been, if nothing else, consistent under Sherri Coale. The Sooners have made 19 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, which is the fifthlongest active streak in the country behind Tennessee (37), Stanford (31), UConn (30) and Notre Dame (23).

Will the Sooners’ good fortunes continue? Off to a 3-6 start, they have some ground to make up.

UConn has won all 11 meetings with the Sooners, including an 88-64 victory last season at Mohegan Sun (the 1,000th of Auriemma’s career).

“They’ve struggled at times, but the one thing that they always do is they compete really, really hard,” Auriemma said.

Familiar name:

Oklahoma freshman Jessi Murcer has some famous bloodlines. The 5-foot-7 guard out of Moore, Okla., is the great-niece of former New York Yankees outfielder Bobby Murcer, who had 252 home runs and 1,043 RBIs over 17 seasons.

Jessi, the reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year, is averaging 12.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.