It’s the title tilt in the 76 Classic this evening as we finish off the holiday weekend with a look at one of the pleasant surprises of the new season, Rick Majerus’ Billikens. Join us for the conversation this evening, after the jump.
Game #42. Prior to tip-off at the 76 Classic on Thursday, conventional wisdom had Villanova and New Mexico playing in the championship game. And while those teams have some talent that should improve as the season matures, clearly the two teams playing in our final tonight, Saint Louis and Oklahoma, are the best teams right now. Neither team has been seriously tested in their first two games here in Anaheim, but tonight we’ll have a battle of contrasting styles and two great coaches. In Lon Kruger’s first year in Norman, he is upping the tempo for the Sooners, employing his pressure defense to create turnovers and get his athletic team easy baskets in transition. At Saint Louis, Rick Majerus is in his fifth season with the Billikens and he’ll try to slow this game down, keep the Sooners off the offensive glass and wear them down in the halfcourt. This should be a great college basketball game as a battle of wills plays out; whoever is able to impose its preferred style of the game should have a distinct advantage as they try to take down the 76 Classic title.