NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma coach Jenny Baranchyk hears the popular catchphrase “6-7” all the time at home, perhaps more often than “please” and “thank you.”
Hearing about it at a women's basketball game was something new for the mother of three.
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Baranchik and sixth place The Sooners became the latest college team to drive fans crazy when they scored 67 points in 89–61 win over North Alabama on Friday.
Hundreds of students on the field trip shouted their approval along with the ubiquitous phrase and juggled their hands up and down, imitating a video that went viral earlier this year.
Sports spectators may have seen this spectacle before perhaps six or seven times. NFL games.
“I didn’t do it because I thought, ‘Yeah,’” said Baranchyk, who has a son and two daughters. “I knew it. But I was like, “You gotta give people what they want sometimes.”
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Reagan Beers, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds, was delighted with the bench's response. Teammates, assistant coaches and staff celebrated at the same time.
Beers said teammates Payton Verhulst, who hit a 3-pointer to give Oklahoma a 66-33 lead, and Zia Vann were trying to call fouls, presumably so they could make free throws.
“We were so excited to do it,” Beers said. “We knew the kids would be excited about it. That's the joy of this game. That's why I love this game. Just having that energy in the building and leaning into what's trending at the moment, which is 6-7, whatever that means. It was so fun to have that moment and let the kids enjoy it.”
Dictionary.com made a viral term “6-7” is the word of the yearand that's not even a word. This is a phrase that children and teenagers can't stop repeating and laughing at, while parents and teachers can't understand its meaning.
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This word – if you can call it that – has gained enormous popularity over the summer. It's more of an inside joke with unclear meaning created by social media.
Dictionary.com says its annual selection is a linguistic time capsule of social trends and events. But the site admitted that it was also a little confused by the number “6-7.”
“Don't worry, because we're still trying to figure out what exactly this means,” the site said in an announcement last month.
How did “6-7” become a reality?
It all seems to go back to a 2024 song by rapper Skrilla called “Doot Doot (6-7).”
The song began appearing in TikTok videos featuring basketball players, including the NBA's LaMelo Ball, who is 6 feet 7 inches tall.
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The boy, now known as “Kid 6-7,” then shouted the ubiquitous phrase while another child next to him juggled his arms in a video that went viral earlier this year.
That's all it took.
So what does “6-7” mean? Real answer: No one knows, but many people think it's harmless. Unlike some other trends that have come and gone, this craze doesn't have some inappropriate backstory.
According to Dictionary.com, this phrase can mean “so-so” or “maybe this, maybe that” when combined with a hand juggling gesture.
Merriam-Webster calls it “a meaningless expression used especially by teenagers and teenagers.”
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However, in basketball games it tends to happen when the team gets close to 67 points, and in football games when it's time to dance.
This happened in Prairie View, Oklahoma women's game earlier this week and at the South Dakota Air Force women's game.
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Associated Press writer Tim Willert contributed to this report.
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