04's Attempt: OU vs. Virginia Commonwealth Recap

[Sooner04]

As a devout disciple of Barry Switzer, I always subscribed to the theory of "it's not x's and o's, it's Jimmys and Joes". Most of the time, talent will outclass tenacity, but it was certainly not the case in the first 15 minutes of tonight's game. We were getting out-hustled, out-jumped and out-worked in every facet of the game. Truly infuriating.

I've noticed that this team too often tries to make the hero play. We'll throw that ball into traffic, and down the floor goes the other team with our turnover. We'll leave our feet to make the monster block, yet they stick to their pivot after the pumpfake and lay it in for two. Those same two plays kept repeating on the soundtrack that was the first 15 minutes of the game, and it threatened to flow into the second as well if not for one man: Tony Crocker.

Tony Crocker has, from the very beginning, been the key to this team, at least in my humble, uninformed opinion. We knew Blake would be a star, but you've got to have someone shoulder the load. Tonight, Tony took a tenacious terrier in VCU and kicked it's dog-butted self to the curb. With the Rams garnering every loose ball, and converting on every pump fake, Tony said enough and took the game over. To me, the Rams could not have played any better in the first half, yet they headed to the locker room down nine. It was Crocker.

Capel made some adjustments at halftime, and I'm sure he also chewed the hell out of our guys for the continued lackadaisacal play of the first half, but the play was definitely different in Act 2. We came out and jumped all over them. They cut the lead down a little, but we went right for the throat after the break. It was beautiful to behold. 11-0 for the first time since Skeeter, Jackie, Smokey, Hawk, Cheese and Slim took us to the #1 ranking in 1990.


SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st - 22 [you can rely on the old man's money!]
2nd - 20
3rd - 23 [private eyes, they're watching you!]
4th - 16 [I can't go for that, no can do.]


[b]LEADING SCORERS:
26 - Tony Crocker [The glue, the unquestioned glue. 15 a night, and we'll start pillaging.]
18 - Blake Griffin [Meh. Thought he looked sluggish.]
9 - Austin Johnson [Great game.]
9 - Willie Warren [Played really well early.]

LEADING REBOUNDERS:
8 - Blake Griffin
7 - Taylor Griffin
6 - Ryan Wright [Nice performance on the boards by our frontcourt.]


PLUSES:
1. Austin Johnson: Aside from committing one of the more ignorant fouls I've ever seen early in the second half, I thought Austin was absolutely fantastic. He seemed to really play in control, and I don't think he had a turnover. His defense tonight was stellar. That steal on the press, followed by the wraparound pass to Leary for the lay-up, might be my favorite play of the year so far. Nine points, six assists, four rebounds. AWESOME!

2. Tony Crocker: It's as if Tony released the self-imposed shackles. There didn't appear to be an ounce of timidity in Tony's game tonight. He let it rip form deep, and he drove to the rim. When he got to the line, he made his freebies. I thought he was great on defense too, VERY active. This Tony Crocker would take us a LONG way.

3. Long Range: 10-16 from behind the arc, and the guy's looked confident shooting them. Too bad there's not a regional in OKC this year.

4. Second Half Rebounding: As bad as it was in the first half, we simply did not allow VCU any second chance points in the second half. They were gassed, and we took advantage.


MINUSES:
1. The Griffin Brothers: I can't really pinpoint what it is, but these guys look like they've been reading their press clippings. The late "T" on Taylor just solidified it for me. I'm afraid they need an attitude adjustment. It's bugging me, but I really can't put it into words. They're body language just looks wrong, and it doesn't "look" like they're hustling. Maybe it's just because I have a roaring sinus infection, but whatever it is, it needs to change.

2. Ryan Wright: He got six boards, and that's nice, but the guy's got bad hands. Several good passes into him went zipping right on through. He's got to improve, because he's obviously the third post.

3. The Last Ten Minutes of the Game: Uglier than Sandra Bernhard in the shower. Uglier than Clint Howard at Chippendale's. I'll stop, because I don't want to think about it anymore. Hideous basketball.


Well, we're 11-0, and we've still only played well in flashes. Blake's had two sub-par games in a row and we really haven't been threatened. Earlier in the year, we lose games like that, but other guys are starting to step up. We're beginning to reach the critical mass level of threats in that any number of guys can go for 15 on any given night (Blake, Taylor, Tony, Willie or Austin). Of all the good points I can give about a team, that one might be the most important. When the opposing defense can no longer sell out to stop only Blake, you'll see this team become a runaway locomotive. We're almost there.

In other news, your humble correspondent will hop on a 737 out of Love Field in Dallas to zip to Houston on Monday to see our Sooners take on the Hoot Owls of Rice. Watch for me on TV, I'll probably be the only guy in the building wearing a Padres hat. Hope to see you there.


Thank you for your time.

[birddog]

i agree about the g brothers. looks like they're pretty confident putting the ball on the floor around midcourt (if they aren't bringing it up the floor), dance around a little bit to show how much they've improved and then make a last second desperation pass when they're pressured by the quicker guards.

more ballhandling by those two than all the "funny" boys in austin combined.

[TopDawg]

I haven't seen much of the past few games, but got to watch all of this one. It's the first time I've noticed Taylor playing really uninspired.

VCU plays really good defense. Their depth is going to hold them back, but they're the type of team that can really frustrate you with their tenacity.

[King Crimson]

and Hall and Oates references, too.

[King Crimson]

i can most definitely live without either Griffin bringing the ball up the floor and NEVER shooting a 3. i like Austin Johnson. he does a lot of good things for us. i was disappointed in Wright's 3-6 from the stripe...he's usually money.

as i posted in the de facto game thread, i thought we did a bad job letting VCU dictate the pace of the game in the first half. they can't stop us in the half court with Blake and Warren. while i like Anthony Grant's "style" of play, they are not a team that can play a full shot clock of D. True to his word, Capel and this Sooner team likes to push the ball.....but, there's no reason to play at the breakneck speed VCU wants to when we have the big guy in the post.

[badger]

(this is NP)

I cannot disagree more about AJ. I love his defense like a hobo loves his talking shopping cart, but his offense makes me cringe too much. He plays way too out of control, has no idea what pace to run the game, is responsible for about half of our turnovers himself, and the rest are inspired by his crazy play after a bad pass. I can't count the number of times that kid got an amazing steal on one end, and went to the other before half the team got there to give it right back. WHEN WE'RE UP 20 WITH 6 MINUTES LEFT.

AAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!! Damnit, AJ, stop dribbling into 3 guys in the post and throwing up trash with 25 seconds left on the shot clock when we're up a ton! Stop doing it ever! Even Blake wasn't drawing triple teams, how the hell did you manage it? No, that isn't Cade streaking to the hoop, it's him switching sides to isolate Blake. Of course it's a damn turnover when you throw to the post with four defenders back and one guard near the basket! No, don't pass up on the three shot to go in and try some Tony Parker running teardrop with four defenders around you! I swear when we were up 12 and had all the momentum in the first half, he single-handedly took VCU and gave them 9 points to bring them back in it. Every time we went down, he would either turn it over or pass it to someone who had no chance but to turn it over. Then he would go down on the other end and go into a zone when everyone else was in man to man or double team the post guy sitting on the wing. Every game I watch I see where we get some steam, and AJ takes off on his own and does about 5-6 really stupid plays in a row on both ends of the court and kills everything we've built up. Why does he hurt me like this?

Okay... I think I'm done. His D was a thing of beauty, though. And when he's calm and playing as a cog in the offense, it's also very pretty to watch. He's got that long frame that surprises people on both ends. I'm still waiting for his dribble drive to really gel from occasional wonder to permanent feature.

[badger]

(this is baj now)

AJ turnovers aside, did everyone keep track of how often they showed ma and pa Griffin on television? We didn't, but it was at least a dozen times.

Because they live so close to OU and we will likely see them many more times,both because they'll be on television and because they will keep showing them, I would like to share the fun game NP and I partook in with each Mr. and Mrs. Griffin sighting. Simply read their expressions and say what they're thinking.

(when Blake makes both free throws but only has four rebounds at that point)

Mom: Oh, I am so proud of both of my sons!
Dad: So the boy can shoot free throws, but forgot how to rebound!

(when Taylor blocks a shot to send it to the other side of the court)
Mom: Oh, that was such a wonderful, wonderful play!
Dad: I taught him how to do that.

(when Blake gets fouled really, really hard)
Mom: Oh no, no, no! That player shouldn't have done that!
Dad: I'm gonna wait in the parking lot and kick that kid's *** after the game.

(when Blake dunks really hard)
Mom: Aww, my baby boy just dunked again!
Dad: Back in my days, I used to dunk even harder.

When they start showing the women on TV, we'll have to see if Hakeem, or Big Ben or Daddy Bubba show up to make a similar game for them. Yes, we are happy that the parents are so supportive of their athlete children, but aren't there others in the crowd you can cut to, like Sooner04?

[oumartin]

Nobody on the team handles the ball that well. There were alot of turnovers last night because guys just weren't playin' hard nor tryin' very hard. AJ isn't the only one that dribbles into a triple team and I don't like the Griffin boys handling the ball at all. Crocker is a monster in a half court set but he absolutely trips all over himself on most fast break opportunities.

[Lott's Bandana]

9:00 left and Blake is dribbling like a teething infant. Trying to be Curly Neal out there with the ESPN cameras on him...it was kind of funny.

VCU played what I'll call a 2-man press most of the game, leaving someone always open. I had good seats last night and from the 8th row, I could see the open guy each time. Apparently, I was the only one.

Blake's dunk in the first minute or so loosened dust off the Thunder's backboard. Hell, it loosened dust off the Myriad's backboard...thing of magnificance.

Sam seemed a bit "deer in the headlights" over the attention and actually blushed at the applause he got when he left with about 4:00 left.

Did they say on TV why Wayman wasn't able to make it?

They didn't say a word in the arena...

[oumartin]

Wayman isn't healthy enough to perform yet. I heard he was there prior to the game but I could be wrong. If not its just because he just doesn't have the strength needed to be able to do the things he wants to just yet.

[OUSKINS]

First, of a few thoughts from the OSU game:

--James Anderson was excellent. If I'm an NBA scout (which I should be dammit) I'd be very intruiged by his game. He is kind of a rarity in college now-- a guy with length and a pretty big frame who has range on his shot. Reminds me a bit of Jeff Green. His inconsistency bugs me, but they guy has the size and talent necessary to be a success on the next level. If he plays like he did last night, OSU can be a dangerous offensive team....but defensively, they stink.

--Travis Ford makes up for his diminutive stature with a booming voice. I've never been able to so clearly hear what a coach was yelling during the game. It was pretty entertaining.

As for OU.....

Sluggish early, with VCU playing with more intensity and effort at the very beginning. Their press seemed to bug us a bit, and we were woeful in terms of getting back on defense. VCU had a ton of early easy baskets in the open court.

But during this stretch, I told my Dad that that type of a game eventually tends to favor the more athletic team--- and I was right. Once OU turned up the effort a bit, they smothered VCU.

The final score did not dictate the beating in the second half. VCU ended the game on a 10-1 run to finish within 11. OU had that game totally wrapped up with about 15:00 to go in the 2nd half.

--Blake is definitely coasting right now. One or two games didn't bother me, but this is becoming a pattern. He isn't a presence on defense, and his effort in the post on offense seems to come and go. He's still a beast and he can get his numbers half asleep, but I'd like to see him "bring it" more consistently-- even when he doesn't have to.

--Crocker was phenomenal. OU will be close to unbeatable when he's on fire like that.

--If anyone can find a better defensive PG than Austin Johnson, I'd like to see him. Our defensive problems stem from opposing players being able to finish easily in the paint-- that's a problem with the frontcourt, not the backcourt.

Right now, I'm just ready for conference play to start, and more specifically, for Jan. 12th against Texas. Looks like the team may be thinking the same thing. We're 11-0, ranked 4th in the nation, and we still have three horrid teams on the schedule before conference play begins. I'd like to just get those games over with ASAP. The trip to Arkansas on the 30th could be a test though.

We're really good. Even when we play half-speed, we're able to beat up on many teams. Our resume' is also looking solid for March. There aren't any major "wow" wins in there, but we have a whole bunch of solid wins over tourney-type teams that should aid us if we need a little help come seeding time.

[Sooner04]

I'm usually hard on Austin, as he's driven me plenty nuts over the years. But I've found him to be really good over these last few games. He's never going to be able to impose our pace on other teams because I don't think he plays the pace we want to play, but that's OK at times. He's simply too good of a defender to not have on the floor.

If we really got after teams with the press, he'd be a great trapper. Dude's got incredibly long arms. As NP or Badger said (I can't keep them apart), the problem is he's as quick to make the bad pass as he was to corral the other team's mistake. That's got to be maddening for Capel.

I think our best chance for success is with Willie running the point on "O" and Austin defending their point on "D". Willie seemed to be a bit timid last night, and it threw our offense off a bit. He didn't drive nearly as much as I'd like.

[SleestakSooner]

(this is NP)

I cannot disagree more about AJ. I love his defense like a hobo loves his talking shopping cart, but his offense makes me cringe too much. He plays way too out of control, has no idea what pace to run the game, is responsible for about half of our turnovers himself, and the rest are inspired by his crazy play after a bad pass. I can't count the number of times that kid got an amazing steal on one end, and went to the other before half the team got there to give it right back. WHEN WE'RE UP 20 WITH 6 MINUTES LEFT.

AAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!! Damnit, AJ, stop dribbling into 3 guys in the post and throwing up trash with 25 seconds left on the shot clock when we're up a ton! Stop doing it ever! Even Blake wasn't drawing triple teams, how the hell did you manage it? No, that isn't Cade streaking to the hoop, it's him switching sides to isolate Blake. Of course it's a damn turnover when you throw to the post with four defenders back and one guard near the basket! No, don't pass up on the three shot to go in and try some Tony Parker running teardrop with four defenders around you! I swear when we were up 12 and had all the momentum in the first half, he single-handedly took VCU and gave them 9 points to bring them back in it. Every time we went down, he would either turn it over or pass it to someone who had no chance but to turn it over. Then he would go down on the other end and go into a zone when everyone else was in man to man or double team the post guy sitting on the wing. Every game I watch I see where we get some steam, and AJ takes off on his own and does about 5-6 really stupid plays in a row on both ends of the court and kills everything we've built up. Why does he hurt me like this?

Okay... I think I'm done. His D was a thing of beauty, though. And when he's calm and playing as a cog in the offense, it's also very pretty to watch. He's got that long frame that surprises people on both ends. I'm still waiting for his dribble drive to really gel from occasional wonder to permanent feature.

Ummm... Austin Johnson had exactly two turnovers and six assists. Sure he dribbles into trouble more often than you might like, but give the kid some slack for Capel's sake. He had a 3/1 assist/t.o. ratio while VCU's premier guard Maynor was 3/8. AJ is far from being the biggest problem on this team and even if his stuff ain't pretty he hustles and fights as hard as anyone. He had 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to go with his 9 points.

Willie was nursing an injury last night (I believe they said it was a hip pointer?) that he got in practice. That may explain his off night but I have the feeling he would have come alive if we needed him to. The kid impresses me with his unselfish play and timely scoring.

Anyone know what it was that Taylor said to get T'd up last night?

[Soonerus]

Congrats Sooners 11-0 !!!!

[8timechamps]

Thanks 04. I feel like things are "right" again (at least on the basketball forum).

Here are a few things I took from the game:

Sloppy ball handling What the heck is going on? I've seen it in every game this year. Blake goes to "run a play" and passes the ball to nobody. I don't know if he's not focused, or if he's running it correctly and the others aren't focused. I saw it twice last night.

From nations best to best in the Big XII I got used to hearing the words "one of the nations best players" (referring to B. Griffin) being said during games early in the season. Last night, I heard (for the first time) the words "the best player in the Big XII". If Blake is in fact "reading his press clippings", maybe he should read them now. He's beginning to fall down the list.

Willie's the man! On what was a quiet night by Willie's standards, I thought he ran the gaurd position very well last night. I still think this guy's the real deal. And like I said earlier in the season, enjoy him while you can, I doubt he'll be here for four years.

I shouldn't pick apart the team after a win, but there were just a few things that stuck in my mind after the game.

[badger]

Ummm... Austin Johnson had exactly two turnovers and six assists. Sure he dribbles into trouble more often than you might like, but give the kid some slack for Capel's sake. He had a 3/1 assist/t.o. ratio while VCU's premier guard Maynor was 3/8. AJ is far from being the biggest problem on this team and even if his stuff ain't pretty he hustles and fights as hard as anyone. He had 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks to go with his 9 points.

Willie was nursing an injury last night (I believe they said it was a hip pointer?) that he got in practice. That may explain his off night but I have the feeling he would have come alive if we needed him to. The kid impresses me with his unselfish play and timely scoring.

Anyone know what it was that Taylor said to get T'd up last night?

(NP, baj logs in at home and I'm too lazy to log her out.)

I need to watch one of these games to keep my "AJ's real t/o ratio" stat. Where even if he passes the ball successfully, if that player has to cough it up because of said pass it still counts. The biggest problem last night was his pace was different than the other guys'. He would fly all over the place and never pay attention to the fact that everyone else was trying to slow down. So when he would drive in and kick the ball out as fast as possible, nobody else would be ready to play or be in position to make something out of the pass.

Still, the kid plays insane D, and never takes a game off. You've got to love the hustle and love he has for the game and the school. That's why he starts, and it's why he runs the O. As nice as it would be to have Willie running and gunning as our offensive point man, he's still too young and we're bringing him along slowly so he can get used to playing within the offense.

On that note... where was "Gamma" Ray?