If SLU’s women’s basketball team were to beat fifth-ranked Oklahoma today, it would, coach Shimmy Gray-Miller said, it would be big. Real big.

“I think a win, it would be easy to say, would be the highest point in the history of this program,” Gray-Miller said. “We beat Wyoming on the road last week, in a very, very tough environment. Without a doubt in the four years here, that’s been our greatest win. That’s better than our first A-10 conference win or beating Richmond in the first round of the tournament or even beating Charlotte last year when Charlotte was tied for first in our conference. That win against wyoming would have been unheard of when we first got here. Clearly, (beating Oklahoma) would be the highest point in the history of this program.”

 It was Oklahoma’s idea to schedule the game, using it as a motivational tool for a return trip to the Final Four here in April. When the Sooners called Gray-Miller about the game, she didn’t hesitate to accept.

“It’s kind of a no-lose situation for your program,” she said. “You’re not expected to win, so if you win, that’s great. But, you get the opportunity to expose your players to some of the greatest players in the country. So best-case scenario, we win and worse-case scenario, we lose but give a great effort and we get to show our kids how far we have to go to get to where we want to be or how close we are to getting to where we want to be.”

Of course, it’s quite possible that the 4-8 Billikens are quite a distance from the 9-2 Sooners, whose only losses are to Connecticut and North Carolina.

“I don’t know because we’ve never played them,” Gray-Miller said. “We played the 22nd-ranked team in the country and we stacked up very well. We lost to TCU but we were in that game the entire time. I don’t know the difference between No. 6 and No. 22. I just know we stacked up well against No. 22 and stacked up well against two other Big 12 teams, Colorado and Kansas. I’m not sure how we stack up against Oklahoma.”

In the still-stratified world of women’s college basketball, where schools like Connecticut and Tennessee stockpile talent the way UCLA did in the ’60s and ’70s, there is still a big difference between No. 22 and No. 5. Oklahoma’s front line goes 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 (SLU’s is 6-4, 5-11, 5-9) and the Sooners have the Paris sisters, Courtney and Ashley, who are as dominant a pair as you’ll find. Courtney averages 15.9 points and 13.2 rebounds per game and haas double-doubles in 103 consecutive games. She’s a consensus all-American.

Amanda Kemezys, a 6-4 junior, will guard Courtney. Heather King, a 5-11 senior, will get Ashley, who’s slightly less impressive numbers are 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds.

“Once we learned we were playing them this year, our director of basketball operations went through tons and tons of game tape and made dvds for us post players of her tendencies that (Courtney) does,” Kemezys said. “I’ve watched that a couple times, I’ve been watching her on TV, and I’ve learned her tendencies. It’s going to be a team effort to stop her and her sister. We’re prepared to do it.

“Obviously, Courtney is in a class of her own in double-double streak and being an all-American. We feel this a great game for us, not only because we can upset an opponetn but for us to get ready for conference. George Washington, Xavier, Charlotte, they all have a lot of big girls. If we can play well against the Paris sisters, we’ll be ready for conference.”

SLU will need to not only stop Oklahoma’s offense, but rebound their misses and then get points at the other end. With Oklahoma’s height inside, points there will be hard to come by. Outside shooters such as Theresa Lisch will have to be on their games.

“As far as offensively, we have to look to take what they give us,” Lisch said. “If the driving lanes are open, we’ll take that. It’s just whatever they give us. The real challenge is going to be on our defense and rebounding tomorrow.

Obviously they’re strong inside with the Paris twins and that’s going to present a huge challenge. Transition defense and boxing out, we have to hit the boards tomorrow. We have to play scrappy. We won’t outsize them.”

A win for SLU would be a big order, one where everything breaks just right for the Billikens, who will be without guard Katie Paganelli, who is hurt.

“We’ve got to play perfect and Oklahoma has to play a little less than perfect,” Gray-Miller said. “But it’s not impossible. It will be challenging and difficult, but not impossible.”

Gray-Miller also would like to see a good crowd for the women’s game, which is part of a rare regular-season doubleheader with the men. (The women are at 5:30, the men at 8.)

“It’s great for the area,” she said. “No one knows about women’s basketball in this area. Women’s basketball is an afterthought around here. Even if you don’t’ want to support the Billikens, come to the game and expose your kid or your team to one of the greatest teams.  Courtney Paris is one of the greatest women’s basketball players to ever play this game. Come and expose your team or your daughter to her. I think it would be a waste if every high school or AAU team in this area did not come to this game.”