jdsooner
3/13/2009, 11:06 AM
Loss leaves OU wondering
Sooners question two last-second plays in setback.
OSU's Byron Eaton shoots between OU's Blake Griffin (right) and Taylor Griffin. Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 3/13/2009 3:24 AM
Last Modified: 3/13/2009 4:31 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY — In one respect, Oklahoma's Big 12 Tournament Bedlam loss Thursday came down to two plays, one officials' call, one officials' non-call, and one question, asked by a member of OU's team outside his dejected locker room:
"What the (bleep) was that?"
The first play occurred in the final 10 seconds, OU leading 70-69. Oklahoma State' Byron Eaton penetrated the Sooners' 2-3 zone and threw a wild layup off the glass. Several players battled for the rebound, but OU's Blake Griffin came down with it.
"I had the ball in my hand," Griffin said, "and he came and went for the ball. Then he fell."
He was OSU guard James Anderson, who earned two free throws after Griffin was whistled for a foul. Anderson went 2-for-2 and the Cowboys led, 71-70, with 2.3 seconds remaining.
"It's physics," OU coach Jeff Capel said. "If you have a 255-pound guy (Griffin) and he happens to run into a guy that is going for the ball, a guy that's 200 pounds (Anderson), he is probably going to move him a little bit."
After a Sooner timeout came the second play, and the non-call. OU's Taylor Griffin rifled a three-quarter-court pass that Blake Griffin left his feet to grab while being bodied by Anderson.
"I caught the ball, and (Anderson) was trying to make a play on the ball, just like the play before when they called me for a foul," Blake Griffin said. "He hit me, but I didn't fall to ground."
Asked whether falling to the Ford Center floor would have drawn an Anderson foul, Griffin replied, "I don't know. I'm not going to fall to the ground over something like that."
Griffin knew if he'd tumbled over, he could never have gotten off the last-second 3-pointer that missed to signal OSU's 71-70 victory. But, in the aftermath, he also knew there had been a lot of contact.
Asked if falling seemed to be the key to the two plays, and the two officials' decisions, Griffin replied: "I would say that. Yes."
Asked if there seemed to be full-body contact by Anderson on the long inbound pass, Capel replied, "You can write it."
Regardless, the Sooners were forced to live with the result, an early exit from the Big 12 Tournament, the end of their five-game Bedlam winning streak, and their fourth loss in six games heading into next week's NCAA Tournament.
And while it's often said that struggling teams don't seem to get many calls, or breaks, that karma conspires against them...
"It wasn't so much karma as it was the guys that were controlling the game," Griffin said on his way out of the Ford Center Thursday night.
I must say that I have not been this angry at referees since the Oregon game. We got screwed, pure and simple.
Sooners question two last-second plays in setback.
OSU's Byron Eaton shoots between OU's Blake Griffin (right) and Taylor Griffin. Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World
By GUERIN EMIG World Sports Writer
Published: 3/13/2009 3:24 AM
Last Modified: 3/13/2009 4:31 AM
OKLAHOMA CITY — In one respect, Oklahoma's Big 12 Tournament Bedlam loss Thursday came down to two plays, one officials' call, one officials' non-call, and one question, asked by a member of OU's team outside his dejected locker room:
"What the (bleep) was that?"
The first play occurred in the final 10 seconds, OU leading 70-69. Oklahoma State' Byron Eaton penetrated the Sooners' 2-3 zone and threw a wild layup off the glass. Several players battled for the rebound, but OU's Blake Griffin came down with it.
"I had the ball in my hand," Griffin said, "and he came and went for the ball. Then he fell."
He was OSU guard James Anderson, who earned two free throws after Griffin was whistled for a foul. Anderson went 2-for-2 and the Cowboys led, 71-70, with 2.3 seconds remaining.
"It's physics," OU coach Jeff Capel said. "If you have a 255-pound guy (Griffin) and he happens to run into a guy that is going for the ball, a guy that's 200 pounds (Anderson), he is probably going to move him a little bit."
After a Sooner timeout came the second play, and the non-call. OU's Taylor Griffin rifled a three-quarter-court pass that Blake Griffin left his feet to grab while being bodied by Anderson.
"I caught the ball, and (Anderson) was trying to make a play on the ball, just like the play before when they called me for a foul," Blake Griffin said. "He hit me, but I didn't fall to ground."
Asked whether falling to the Ford Center floor would have drawn an Anderson foul, Griffin replied, "I don't know. I'm not going to fall to the ground over something like that."
Griffin knew if he'd tumbled over, he could never have gotten off the last-second 3-pointer that missed to signal OSU's 71-70 victory. But, in the aftermath, he also knew there had been a lot of contact.
Asked if falling seemed to be the key to the two plays, and the two officials' decisions, Griffin replied: "I would say that. Yes."
Asked if there seemed to be full-body contact by Anderson on the long inbound pass, Capel replied, "You can write it."
Regardless, the Sooners were forced to live with the result, an early exit from the Big 12 Tournament, the end of their five-game Bedlam winning streak, and their fourth loss in six games heading into next week's NCAA Tournament.
And while it's often said that struggling teams don't seem to get many calls, or breaks, that karma conspires against them...
"It wasn't so much karma as it was the guys that were controlling the game," Griffin said on his way out of the Ford Center Thursday night.
I must say that I have not been this angry at referees since the Oregon game. We got screwed, pure and simple.