Kansas makes Griffin more valuable than ever
Posted: Monday, February 23, 2009 8:59 PM
Filed Under:
Big 12, Player of the Year
Monday erased any lingering doubts about Blake Griffin’s importance to Oklahoma. Back-to-back losses will do that.
Not that the No. 3 Sooners are a lost cause without Griffin. They showed as much during Monday’s 87-78 loss to Kansas. They jumped out to an early lead and when they started to struggle, they showcased an aggressive, pressing defense and even displayed some impressive outside shooting.
But without Griffin, Oklahoma’s merely a good team.
To be fair, No. 15 Kansas (23-5) is one of the nation’s unheralded teams, so it’s not like OU lost to NJIT. The Jayhawks are like the handful of other Final Four hopefuls. They’ve had perplexing losses (UMass) and drubbings (Michigan State), but are capable of surprising consistency and efficient play. A year after losing more than 80 percent of its offense, Kansas is atop the Big 12 with three games remaining.
To call KU a title contender is a stretch, but not a big one. After all, it’s the kind of season where Top 5 teams lose to unranked foes and West Virginia can rank among kenpom.com’s 10 best all season. Come March, it’s anyone’s game.
Including the Sooners’.
Take the start of Monday’s game. Oklahoma opened up a 22-8 lead midway through the first half. Freshman Willie Warren was hitting from the outside, breaking down KU’s guards and the defense had the Jayhawks confused.
But soon enough, OU started missing free throws and turning the ball over. It was clear they missed their main man in the middle. Griffin’s been a stabilizing presence for the Sooners. Has been all season, whether it’s his rebounding (an NCAA-leading 13.8 rpg) or scoring (22.0 ppg). At times, he’s been dominant (40 points, 23 rebounds vs. Texas Tech).
He played just 11 minutes during Oklahoma’s loss to Texas on Saturday. He was a DNP Monday. If anything, the last two games have cemented Griffin’s place as the nation’s best player and probably it’s most valuable. It’ll be interesting to see how he rebounds from his concussion. Will he be as aggressive? As focused? As sharp?
Oklahoma’s title chances depend on him.
MORNING LINKS:
Indeed, that's what Jenni Carlson says the Sooners will start focusing on: The NCAA tournament. Coach Jeff Capel said as much Monday night. "When we’re full strength, we’re as good as anybody in the country. When we get everyone back, I think we’ll be OK. This is just two bumps in the road for us.”
This photo sums up the Sooners' night.
Jason Whitlock says it was Sherron Collins' second-best as a 'Hawk, behind only the national title game. Oh, and that the Sooners can't use Griffin's absence as an excuse. No one "no one is going to remember or care about that when they look at the conference record book." I assume that only applies to KU fans.
Then again, maybe the Jayhawks deserve it. They did lose 6 players and all five starters from a national title team, writes Tom Keegan.
Kansas wouldn't have won with Griffin in the Sooners' lineup, says Jeff Goodman.
Cole Aldridch had one of his finest games without Griffin around. To be fair, Aldrich knows that and just wants Griffin to be healthy again.
