OU

In games that could go either way, I traditionally pick the team possessing the most dominant player. This formula has been somewhat trustworthy for me, so I choose to use it here. In this case, it is an easy call, because the best player in Friday’s game happens to be the most dominant force in the nation. He plays for OU; his name is Blake Griffin.

In a game that figures to be tight, having the best player in the land can make the difference. OU will avenge its 2003 Elite Eight loss to Carmelo Anthony’s ‘Cuse with a win Friday.

The Big East certainly has its fair share of beasts in the interior, but Hasheem Thabeet and DeJuan Blair have certainly not proven to be in the same stratosphere as Griffin. The Orange has not seen anything quite like No. 23 for the Sooners, nor do they have anyone to match up with him. Although, in fairness to Syracuse, there isn’t a player in the land who can slow down Griffin when he is dialed-in.

The backcourt for the Orange is stacked: Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins each average double figures and play well on defense in Jim Boeheim’s zone. The Sooner guards may not be on par with their counterparts Friday, but should be able to hold their own. The OU advantage in the paint will be more than enough to balance Syracuse’s potential advantage on the perimeter.

Yeah, Syracuse is hot, but so is OU.

After shaking off their late season cobwebs, the Sooners have looked increasingly like their old selves since the tournament began. The guard play against Michigan was what the team needs, and what it will use to get to the next round.

As long as senior guard Austin Johnson and freshman guard Willie Warren can continue to stroke the three-ball like they did against the Wolverines, the Sooners will continue to have success in the tournament.

In big games, your best players must be your best players. The Sooners big guns will step up Friday, and outplay the players clad in orange.

-Jarrod Yost is a journalism sophomore.

Syracuse

It may be sacrilegious to utter these words on campus at this point in the year, but the Syracuse Orange are going to the Elite Eight.

The Sooners’ inconsistent play during the final few regular-season games combined with Syracuse’s zone defense will wind up being OU’s demise.

Ever since sophomore forward Blake Griffin was knocked out of the game against Texas on Feb. 21 in Austin, it has been hard to tell which Sooner team will show up to the court. Even though two of the losses were without Griffin, probably the most important one came against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament with him.

Since the start of the NCAA tournament, OU has played up to par, but Sooner fans can only wonder how long that play will continue. Griffin has averaged 30.5 points and 15 rebounds per game in the tournament, but other than him and senior forward Taylor Griffin, the Sooners have had less-than-stellar play from the bench.

Syracuse’s zone defense is going to exploit the inconsistencies of OU’S other four starters and bench players. In that zone, the Orange may be able to force the Sooners to keep the ball around the perimeter and out of Blake Griffin’s hands in the paint.

If they can have players like freshman guard Willie Warren – who is the only Sooner other than Blake Griffin who averages double-digit points per game – junior guard Tony Crocker and senior guard Austin Johnson controlling the ball and taking most of the shots from the perimeter, the Orange will have a great chance to come out victorious.

OU’s 36 percent shooting from beyond the arc means the Sooners can survive while shooting those shots but can’t win off them.

I believe that if Syracuse’s zone defense can force Warren, Crocker and Johnson to take the majority of the shots from deep, then OU will be in a lot of trouble.

Most Sooner fans know what they know about the Orange based on what they did on ESPN in the Big East Tournament, but as a group they have played more consistently as five players are averaging double-digit points per game.

Syracuse will wind up winning, but the question is going to be whether the Orange will actually win the game, or if the Sooners will lose it.

-Jono Greco is a journalism sophomore.

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