Griffin, Warren take conference honors again

If Player of the Week honors are any indication, sophomore forward Blake Griffin and freshman guard Willie Warren should be in prime position to take Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors as well.

As announced on Monday, Griffin and Warren were named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively. It was Griffin’s fifth time to receive the honor this season, which ties a Big 12 record, and the sixth time that Warren has come away with the award, a Big 12 record.

Last week, Griffin averaged 29 points and 16.5 rebounds in the Sooners’ two games against Baylor and Texas Tech. On Wednesday in Waco, Texas, Griffin scored 18 points and 10 rebounds before going off against Texas Tech on Saturday.

In a record-setting performance against the Red Raiders, Griffin scored 40 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. It was the third time in OU history that a player scored 40 points and pulled down 20 rebounds in one game.

Warren averaged 14.5 and four assists and shot 53 percent from the field in the Sooners’ two wins. Griffin and Warren were picked as preseason conference Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Men’s, women’s golf teams both in action today

The men’s golf team is entering the final round of the UTSA Intercollegiate at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas, in fourth place. The Sooners are just two strokes out of second place, behind University of Texas-Arlington and Texas State.

OU shot three-under on Monday. No. 15 Texas Tech has a 19-stroke lead heading into Tuesday’s action.

Meanwhile, the women are in Florida participating in the 15-team Central District Invitational in Parrish, Fla.

— Daily Staff

Men’s tennis stays perfect on new home courts with 6-1 win over Pacific

The OU men’s tennis team looked to make it two in a row today after upsetting No. 34 TCU just a few days before.

The Sooners remain perfect in the new Gregg Wadley Tennis Pavilion as they beat Pacific University 6-1. The Sooners are now on a two-game winning streak after losing their two previous games at the Great Northwest Shootout earlier in the month.

“The team played really well today,” said sophomore Ionut Beleleu, “I was able to win big points in my match to get the win for the team.”

The Sooners started off slow losing the doubles point but were able to bounce back and win all six of the singles matches to take the match overall.

“The team was very confident today,” said junior Andrei Daescu, “We fell behind in the doubles point, but we used that as motivation for the singles matches.”

The team’s next game will be on the road as it will travel to Little Rock to play the University of Arkansas on Feb. 20. The next time the men’s team plays in Norman will not be until March 7 when it faces off against San Diego University.

— James Roth/ The Daily