AUSTIN, TEXAS — Sophomore forward Blake Griffin has seen his fair share of rough play this season.
Against USC, he took a shot below the belt. Utah tried tripping the All-American. And against Rice, Griffin took a shot below the eye that left blood dripping down his face.
But Griffin simply shrugged those plays off. So when Texas’ Dexter Pittman’s hand grazed Griffin’s nose while attempting a blocked shot Saturday night, it looked like nothing.
But it was something.
Griffin had to come out of the game after playing only 11 minutes, scoring 2 points and grabbing three rebounds. He appeared sick on the sideline, became woozy, and according to head coach Jeff Capel, suffered a concussion.
Griffin never re-entered the game, and the Sooners couldn’t overcome the loss of the Player of the Year front-runner, losing to unranked Texas, 73-68.
“From the jump ball it was a very physical game,” senior forward Taylor Griffin said.
The stakes were high for both teams on Saturday. For OU, a potential No. 1 ranking was on the line. Texas needed a win to avoid dropping to 6-6 in conference and putting its NCAA tournament hopes in jeopardy.
After a scoreless first two minutes, Texas’ Dogus Balbay scored the first goal. Three minutes into the game, junior guard Tony Crocker hit a two-point jumper, tying the game at 2 and foreshadowing the back and forth ball game that was to come.
After Blake Griffin got in early foul trouble, he sat early in the first half. The play that knocked him out of the game came with four minutes left in the half.
Blake Griffin received a shot to the face from Pittman on a turnaround jump shot. He missed the shot, but Taylor Griffin grabbed the rebound and put it back in. On the next time down the court, Blake Griffin mishandled a pass in the paint before the Sooners real pulled him from the game.
“ It was a good win for us, we came out there and for the most of us, executed our game plan,” Texas guard A.J. Abrams said. “With Blake going out it made us change our game plan.”
With Blake Griffin gone, freshman guard Willie Warren stepped to the plate. In the second half he caught fire, finishing the game with 27 points.
“He’s a really good player, he’s been good for us all year,” Capel said. “This is no surprise for us.”
After starting the second half slow, it was Warren who brought the Sooners back into the game. OU needed a 15–0 run in the middle of the second half that ended with a layup by junior Juan Pattillo to tie the game at 41 with 15:27 left in the game.
After that point, it was a back and forth game, and Warren led the Sooners’ charge. In a span of 3:30, Warren hit four three-pointers.
In one series of plays, Warren banked a three-point shot off the backboard. On OU’s next offensive series, Warren suffered a cramp on his way up for a shot, and turned the ball over. Unable to run, Warren stayed on OU’s side of the court, struggling to stand up.
The Sooners then got a defensive stop and senior guard Austin Johnson found Warren, who on a gimpy leg, hit another three-pointer to give OU a 61-56 lead with just over five minutes left in the game.
“If Blake had been in that game, it would have been a totally different ball game.” Warren said. “I would rather Blake be on the team, than have me make all the shots.”
But Warren was matched shot-for-shot and then some by Abrams. He scored 23 points and 18 of Texas’ last 20 to seal the game for the Longhorns.
Longhorn Damion James provided 16 points and 10 rebounds, seven that came on offense. James fouled out with 2:34 left in the game.
The only Texas bucket not made by Abrams in the final eight minutes came from an offensive put back by Pittman with 16 seconds left in the game.
“I know they’ve prepared, and they’ve done the things they needed to do,” Texas head coach Rick Barnes said. “It’s really pretty simple. It all comes down to making shots. A.J. came up big, and Dexter’s rebound was a huge play obviously.”
The loss marked OU’s second on the season after a 13 game win streak. The Sooners will go into Monday’s game against Kansas 25-2 and 11-1 in the Big 12.
“I really don’t care about that,” Taylor said. “Having a number by your name is cool and everything … but we have a big one on Monday so were going to go back and focus on that one It’s not like the season is over, we are still playing for three big championships, that is focus enough.”
-Clark McCaskill/The Daily
Griffin Update
Sophomore forward Blake Griffin did not practice in the Sooners’ practice on Sunday. Head coach Jeff Capel said team doctors would decide if Griffin plays tonight against Kansas.
“Blake has a future that goes well beyond the University of Oklahoma and so that’s what the main concern is,” Capel said. “If he’s able to play than he will play”
Sooners take on Kansas tonight at 8 in Norman
First-place in the Big 12 will be on the line tonight when Kansas comes to Norman to take on the Sooners at 8 at Lloyd Noble Center.
The Jayhawks (22-5, 11-1 Big 12) enter tonight’s contest winners of 11 of their last 12 games. Their only loss in that span was by 2 at Missouri on Feb. 9.
OU (25-2, 11-1) may have to play without sophomore forward Blake Griffin, whose status for tonight is unknown.
Without Griffin, the Sooners will have to find a way to contain sophomore center Cole Aldrich, who is averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
The other player to keep an eye on will be junior guard Sherron Collins. Collins leads the team in both points (18.0 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg).
— Eric Dama/The Daily
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jimjames 3 years, 3 months ago
I hope we get a chance to play them again in the conference tournament. payback is a b****