ATB: Griffin Sits, Kansas Benefits…
Posted by rtmsf on February 24th, 2009
So How Long Until Blake Griffin Returns? Kansas 87, Oklahoma 78. Ok, so we’re fairly certain that OU would have beaten Texas in Austin on Saturday night had Blake Griffin not suffered a concussion that nobody can actually pinpoint when occurred. But we’re not sure that OU would have beaten Kansas tonight at home even with Griffin in the lineup. This KU team is proving that, despite losing six players to graduation and the NBA, Bill Self is running a self-sustaining program over there in Lawrence. Actually, KU ’09 is starting to remind us a little of the Kentucky teams that went to the final game in 1997 and won another national title in 1998 playing with the backups of the 1996 championship team. With Sherron Collins (26/3 assts) on the perimeter, Cole Aldrich (15/20/4 blks) in the post and a collection of young talent including Tyshawn Taylor (26/3 assts) and Marcus Morris providing depth, Kansas is proving they’ll once again be heard from this March. As for Griffin, he did not look good over there on the OU bench tonight, constantly wiping his eyes and looking a little dazed. We’re no medical professional, but how long will it take for him to recover from this – a few more days? A week? Two weeks? OU goes to Texas Tech this weekend and Missouri next Wednesday, two road contests that suddenly look a lot more difficult if Griffin cannot get back on the court soon.
Stick a Fork in the Hoyas – They’re Done. Louisville 76, Georgetown 58. How silly we were – we actually thought that Georgetown had a chance at winning this game and making a run at 8-10 in the Big East to get itself back on the bubble. Not guh happen. Georgetown looks a lot better in the layup lines and on paper than they actually are when the clock is running. Louisville tonight shredded the GU defense by hitting its first nine shots of the game and first seven threes to take a quick double-digit lead that they pretty much never relinquished. Earl Clark had 22/8/4 stls and T-Will had 10/12/7 as the Cards continued to impress by staying in the hunt for the Big East regular season championship at 13-2. With two games at home (Marquette/Seton Hall) and a road game at WVU, Pitino’s team probably has the inside track on the title. Pitt and UConn still have another game against each other, and Marquette has a murderer’s row schedule the next two weeks. So why does Georgetown suck? Frankly, their usually-solid defense has been suspect for a long while – the Hoyas are the 102d most efficient defense, down from 11th and 37th the last two years, and they don’t force turnovers. Additionally, anyone with a little toughness can get a rebound against their front line – Georgetown ranks in the bottom third of teams in rebounds per game and the in the bottom fifty teams in rebound percentage. Greg Monroe and DaJuan Summers’ combined 11.2 rpg simply aren’t getting it done. Add those two things together and you’ve got an ok offense that is getting marginalized by poor (by Big East standards) defense, and a situation where the inertia of losing caused this team to lose its confidence midway through the season.
