Sooners Prepare for Land Down Under

OU women's basketball readies for 10-day tour of Australia.

Aug. 5, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- Like every year, the OU women's basketball team uses its preseason to prepare for its winter schedule. Only, this year, winter comes in August.

The Sooners are headed to southern hemisphere as part of an overseas tour in which it will travel the east coast of Australia and play four exhibition games against teams from the nation's premier women's basketball league, the WNBL.

Thursday, Aug. 10, Oklahoma will face the Townsville Fire then play the reigning WNBL champion Dandenong Rangers Tuesday, Aug. 14. OU completes its Australian schedule facing the Maitland All-Stars on Aug. 15 and Sydney Flames on Aug. 17.

The preseason trip is not limited to basketball, however, as the Sooners will get to explore the land down under. Snorkeling around Great Barrier Reef, shopping at Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne and touring the Sydney Opera House are among the adventures planned.

The trip is funded by the Fast Break Club and with it the NCAA allows for 10 additional preseason practices. The Sooners began practice July 31 and will leave for Australia Tuesday.

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International basketball rules vary from the game played at the collegiate level in the United States. FIBA regulations offer differences in court dimensions and clock management. Among the major differences are those explained below:

Rules	FIBA	NCAA Women
Duration of Game	Four, 10-Minute Quarters	Two, 20-Minute Halves
Size of Lane	16-by-19 Feet	12-by-19 Feet
Shot Clock	24 Seconds	30 Seconds
Backcourt Violation	8 Seconds	None

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