04's Attempt: OU vs. Texas Recap

[Sooner04]

Good teams always find a way to play through whatever road blocks are thrown their way. Tonight's game, from the word go, was as "run" oriented a game as I've ever seen. We'd score five, they'd score the next four. We'd get a cushion, they'd let out the air. It was a maddening way to try and watch our team take this season to the next level. Texas has ruled over the South like a dark cloud. Just when we thought we'd get a few rays of sunshine, Texas would come right in and slap us down to reality. I was getting a little tired of it, so you know our team was sick to death of the burnt orange scum.

For a long time, we owned Texas, but they've posted a few scarlet "L's" on our resume ever since T. J. Ford stole a game from us in Norman in 2003 and sent us to Albany instead of San Antonio. Capel had never beaten them, and for us to prove the trumpeting press correct we had to win this game tonight and show ourselves, the conference and the nation that we were ready for the big time. After a constant ebb and flow of five points here and six points there, Texas produced a run, and the score was 54-50 after a basket by Damion "Judas" James. It was time to see what this team was made of. Strong stuff was the answer.

I had to shut off my brain during the run because I was afraid of doing the math and allowing our good luck to seep back over toward the burnt orange scum. To my delight, we kept scoring and they kept tossing up bricks.

4-0. 6-0. 8-0.

Be still my beating heart.

10-0.

I love him, i love him, and where he goes I'll follow, I'll follow.

12-0

It took 6:11, but the tone was set on the initial possession. We missed a trey, and down the floor came the scum. They looked to cut it to two or one, but Taylor Griffin came up with the prettiest block of the game. We defended our goal and took it the other way with Willie Warren. He scored, and Texas crawled into a cow pattie.

It was beautiful to watch, and by the time the smoke cleared a 54-50 nailbiter had transformed into a 66-50 nod to the world. Good teams defend home court. Really good teams make the crucial plays to break the spirit of good teams. Tonight we showed the nation we're a REALLY good team. We'd let good teams hang around earlier this season in Norman. Not tonight. Tonight we took the burnt orange scum and stomped a mudhole through them during the toughest part of the game.


SCORING BREAKDOWN:
1st - 22 [Here, there, and everywhere!]
2nd - 16 [phlegm-filled opossum.]
3rd - 16 [hyena plagued by bronchitis.]
4th - 24 - [Hip, hip, so hip to be square!]


LEADING SCORERS:
20 - Blake Griffin: So athletic, but the dude's got to hit those free throws.
17 - Willie Warren: When the going gets tough, nice to have a guy who can drive.
16 - Tony Crocker: 15 a night, and we're lethal.
15 - Austin Johnson: That bowl of crow? Yeah, extra mustard, please.


LEADING REBOUNDERS:
10 - Blake Griffin: and he was getting mugged.
9 - Tony Crocker: stunned, I was.
7 - Taylor Griffin: garbage man.


PLUSES:
1. Austin Johnson: The kind of play he brought at point guard tonight makes us a REALLY good basketball team. I don't know why he can't be that aggressive every night, but we're so much better when he brings that energy. He gets beaten up, and he was awfully gassed by the end, but he set the tone by scoring the game's first five points. Everyone fed off that. As a self-proclaimed AJ detractor, I enjoyed him shoving it in my face tonight.

2. Willie Warren: This kid is Corey Brewer minus that hideous Omega scar/tattoo. It's so nice to have a guy who can get inside and draw the contact while still putting up a quality shot. Often times WW was the dagger to UT scoring bursts.

3. Tony Crocker: 15 a night. 15 a night. 15 a night. I've been preaching that all year long, but Tony was really active on defense tonight too. Nine rebounds and two big steals in 38 minutes of work. He was ALL over the place.

4. Blake Griffin: What can you say? He picked up two charges. He's getting those POY calls now.

5. Crowd: Loud and rowdy from the word go.

6. Juan Pattillo: The chupacabra lives?

7. Second Half: I'm really not sure we can play any better. 13-20 from the field, 1-2 from deep. All the while we held Texas to 13-42 from the field while contesting damn near EVERY shot.


MINUSES:
1. Bench: We have none. Hey, maybe our starting five can go for 35+ every night. I doubt it, but I've seen it before.

2. Late Game: We let the scum have a couple of late steals and an A. J. "Clinique" Abrams (seriously, the dude's got to have fake eyelashes) trey away from letting them get back down to single digits. Protect that ball, fellas. I'm looking at you, Taylor.

3. Blake and Free Throw Shooting: 3 of 9 tonight, probably down below 60% for the season. Teams will be hacking him late from now on. If Barnes had half a brain under that receding hairline of his, he would've been sending Blake to the line immediately after the last TV timeout.

4. Dunks: Aside from the brothers Griffin, we might be the worst dunking team in the history of basketball. How many have we shanked in the last two games? I can think of at least four.


2-0 in conference for the first time since 2005 has got me pretty pumped. I thought our effort waned at times in Manhattan, but our guys played a stellar game tonight. Saturday's game in College Station is very crucial because it could open the door to a really fast start. We follow that game up with two straight home games against Nebraska and Baylor. Win these early ones, and the sledding turns downhill with old lady Momentum. Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself, but we've got some horses out there this year. Pardon me for being excited. REALLY good teams win those games.


Thank you for your time.

[okienole3]

Good read. I thought another plus of the game was Willie Warren's rebounding. He skied for a few late in the game. As for no bench, I really wish a couple of those guys would step up and earn some playing time. But, our starting five are in tremendous shape. Texas was subbing constantly and their guys were gassed from the word go. With the exception of AJ, who was running the show and chasing Abrams, our guys looked pretty good throughout.

[badger]

Thanks for making me look like an idiot, AJ! Really! I enjoyed every second.

I would also rather have some stinker play in conference while building up depth on the bench than to gas our players by the tourney. Physical endurance isn't the only thing I worry about.

-NP

[the_ouskull]

Don't everybody start bl*wing Austin Johnson just yet. 1) I'm sure he does enough of that for himself, and 2) he's just as likely to have one of those epic 4 point, 5 turnover, 20% shooting nights as he is a game like he had tonight; and as likely to do it when we need a big game from him the most.

the_ouskull

[King Crimson]

Crocker sat on 9 boards the last 6 minutes of the game. he really did it at both ends in stretches.

[OUSKINS]

--Crocker was the man last night. MVP of the game-- although the entire starting 5 was excellent. But Crocker was a total pain in the butt for UT to deal with. Tons of energy and his rebounding was a thing of beauty. I know he was only credited with a couple of steals, but I guarantee if you go back and watch the tape, you'll see that his stellar defense led to several other turnovers.

--Blake destroyed Pittman. Totally dominated him on both ends of the floor. Three things I really liked from Blake last night:

1. Great energy on defense
2. Didn't become passive after a slow offensive start
3. Didn't simply settle to pass out of the double team

I'm not sure how Blake is even going to get out of bed this morning. He played 39 minutes and he was all over the floor, with guys hanging on him, banging him, and harrassing him all night. He was tugging on his shorts a LOT during the game, but he was always there when we needed him.

--Pretty clear that when we "need" something to happen on offense, Willie Warren is the guy that is going to get the ball. He answered many of UT's runs.

--Taylor played his role perfectly last night. Garbage man deluxe. You can argue that his block when it was 54-50 was the biggest play of the game. The crowd was excellent all night, but that was probably the crescendo of the evening. From that point on, we dominated.

--What can you say about Johnson? If AJ and Crocker play like that consistently, OU is clearly one of the best teams in the nation. Not only did he "bring it" at the offensive end, but he chased Abrahms around all night long-- forcing him into a woefully inefficient night.

--I think our bench problems are somewhat self-inflicted. It's really my one and only criticism of Capel at this point. Last night, the starting 5 was so hot, that I don't blame him for keeping the bench minutes to a minimum, but in general, he just isn't giving the guys on the bench any playing time. It's hard for me to tell if the bench production is just terrible, or if they aren't getting long enough looks. Davis is really the only guy on the bench that can count on significant minutes night in and night out.

--The Patillo thing is interesting....I really wish someone would ask Capel about it, but in the post-game, Bob Barry Sr. stuck to his normal "questions" like, "Gotta love the Sooners, huh coach?" Curious to see why he was redshirted in the first place and why they decided to take him out now. If he is going to average 2 minutes a night, then it doesn't seem to make much sense. Weird.

--As mentioned, the crowd was great. Never heard if it became an officially sellout or not, but it had to have been close-- there were very few empty seats and the place was highly energized all night long. First time in a long time I can remember having to stand for the majority of the game. It was cool.

--I'm obviously not a "free throw doctor" (although maybe I could be?) but it appears to me that Blake takes TOO much time at the line. I know everyone has an answer for a poor free throw shooter, and that's mine.

--Overall, a very good win. We're simply the better team and Texas is clearly the second best team in the Big 12, which means this conference is ours to lose. The better team doesn't always win of course, but last night, they did. We simply have more talent and on top of that, we're well coached.

--Last night proves that some of our earlier defensive woes may have been effort/energy related. We've really clamped down defensively in the two confernce games so far...using our athleticism to disrupt passing lanes...and the Griffin brothers have been much stronger protecting the basket.

--Next Saturday has all the makings of a "trap" or letdown game in College Station. A+M is a solid team...no great shakes, but probably an Tournament team-- and those types of teams are always tough to beat on the road. Coming off two strong wins and getting national pats on the back, the game down there looms as a scary one to me.

[starrca23]

An analogy of what OU did to Texas last night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a_wW6Zf0Qk

[Boomer.....]

Great guard play last night. They came to play and really helped BG out. This team is a great team at home.

As for the dunks 04, I don't think TC knows how to. He has bricked more dunks than he has made. Mind boggling. There was even a wide open fast break that he had at KSU that he layed up instead of dunking.

[Ton Loc]

Don't everybody start bl*wing Austin Johnson just yet. 1) I'm sure he does enough of that for himself, and 2) he's just as likely to have one of those epic 4 point, 5 turnover, 20% shooting nights as he is a game like he had tonight; and as likely to do it when we need a big game from him the most.

the_ouskull

Really? Is TX not a big enough game for you?

Giant Thumbs Down to both of those comments.

[OUSKINS]

Don't everybody start bl*wing Austin Johnson just yet. 1) I'm sure he does enough of that for himself, and 2) he's just as likely to have one of those epic 4 point, 5 turnover, 20% shooting nights as he is a game like he had tonight; and as likely to do it when we need a big game from him the most.

the_ouskull

That post screams sour grapes.

I have no problem at all with fan's crticizing individual players and even using harsh terms/jokes to illustrate their feelings... but the "I'm sure he does enough of that for himself" comment leads me to believe there is some sort of personal vendetta or something going on. If so, it's probably best to leave it off the board.

[okienole3]

Anyone think Patillo may have been ineligible the first semester and the redshirt thing was a smoke screen?

[Sooner04]

I have no idea what in the hell is going on with Pattillo. Any newspaper man worth his weight in toner ought to be asking Capel that question right after the game.

In regards to Austin Johnson. If I'm going to be grouchy enough to point out his flaws when he plays lousy then you better believe I'll be man enough to admit when the kid plays a whale of a game. Last night, we simply do not win without Austin Johnson. What infuriates me about him is that energy isn't there every night. Why? Who knows? He doesn't have to be as good as he was last night, but there's a monstrous cavern between his best and his worst.

I'm anxious to see what he does in College Station on Saturday.

[Tulsa_Sooner]

Good read as always. I have no real skills as a basketball analyst, but I was definitely pleased with the guard play. If they can continue at that rate, we'll definitely be winning quite a few conference games. I know we are only two games into the big 12 schedule, so I'm a little scared to look too far ahead....but I honestly don't think that there is a single game left on our schedule that is not winnable. Now that doesn't mean I think we'll win out (wouldn't that be great though!?), but we'll definitely have a shot in every game. Next game is definitely a trap - hopefully the team doesn't have a big drop in intensity after the big win; playing the ATM machines is not an easy game.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Has Ryan Wright ever played this game before? You know, even if you're completely lost out there, feel free to show some hustle, dive after loose balls and block somebody out.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

I never completely understood the AJ criticism. I think he's doing the best with what he's got. Maybe it's just expectations. After the last two years of watching him turn it over every other possession, I'm just glad to see him take care of the ball this year. That's all I really expect out of him.

[cheezyq]

Good things about this OU team:

1. Athleticism/Ball Skills. It finally seems like we have enough athletic players who can handle the ball. This has been a struggle since the Tubbs era. While we've always played tough basketball under Sampson and Capel, we just haven't had the athletes to be able to keep up with the better teams, or the ball-handling skills to effectively deal with the press. From PG to PF, we have good athletes and ball handlers. I think this is what keeps us competing with the top 10.

2. Obviously Blake Griffin. He's a virtually unstoppable inside presence.

3. Outside Shooting. While inconsistent, we have generally been good enough to compensate for double/triple teams on Blake.

4. Willie Warren. At first he seemed to struggle when learning the college game. But lately this guy has been a spark for when the team struggles. He seems to know the exact time to pump a 3 or to get to the basket. He has tremendous ball skills. He's still a freshman and makes occasional mistakes. But overall he has a lot of poise and is EXACTLY what this team needs.

I think we can compete with anyone. That's been clear from the beginning, and I think we'll only get better.

Things that need to improve for this OU team:

1. Depth. We need at least 2 front-court and 1 back-court player to step up and provide good defense/rebounding/ball-handling and reasonable offense. Cade provides decent offense, but struggles with ball-handling. Ryan Wright seems to clumsy to provide a consistent inside presence. Everyone else is used sparingly. Leary is ok, sometimes. Hopefully Patillo can help out.

2. Focus. We need to limit/eliminate the sloppy play that gets us in trouble sometimes.

I think this team is as much of a top 5 team as anyone. We have our weaknesses, but we're still a very good team. I'm curious how Patillo fits in, and what that does to our depth. But overall I think we can go far into the tourney with some improvement here and there.

[picasso]

did I hear correctly on the radio this morning, when AJ scores in doubles OU has lost only once?

I'll take the answer off the air.

[StoopTroup]

I do hope Austin Johnson continues to improve and be more consistent.

It was nice to see him light up a little in the 2nd half.

[King Crimson]

did I hear correctly on the radio this morning, when AJ scores in doubles OU has lost only once?

I'll take the answer off the air.

18-1 over the last two seasons is the stat being thrown around on ESPN.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/column...ana&id=3829125

[Sooner24]

I have no idea what in the hell is going on with Pattillo. Any newspaper man worth his weight in toner ought to be asking Capel that question right after the game.

In regards to Austin Johnson. If I'm going to be grouchy enough to point out his flaws when he plays lousy then you better believe I'll be man enough to admit when the kid plays a whale of a game. Last night, we simply do not win without Austin Johnson. What infuriates me about him is that energy isn't there every night. Why? Who knows? He doesn't have to be as good as he was last night, but there's a monstrous cavern between his best and his worst.

I'm anxious to see what he does in College Station on Saturday.

Bob Barry ask JC in the post game about burning his redshirt and he replied Juan came to him and said he was ready to play and that we could use him. Seems strange to waste half a season but if we can get a solid 10-12 minutes out of him to spell some players so be it. I didn't see anything like that last night out of him but it was his first real game action so I won't judge him on one game.

I watched Texas in warm-ups and they looked like they were in a daze. I never once saw any fire from any of their players all night. Too bad for them.

Also if John Chaney were still coaching Dexter Pittman would have made a great "Goon" for his team.