2008 Oklahoma Sooners Basketball Predictions & Season Preview
Written October 10, 2008 by Jack Jones
Jeff Capel has done a pretty good job with this Oklahoma basketball program, and this should be his best season to date. He has the best player in the conference playing for him in Blake Griffin and a solid guard in Tony Crocker. Add to the mix the highly touted freshman Willie Warren and this could be a big year for the Sooners not only in the Big 12 but on a national scale. This is a top 10 team nationally that will be competing to the end with Texas for the conference championship. It appears that the college basketball odds are in agreement with us. Oklahoma is +250 to win the Big 12 at BetUS, a close second to Texas’s +200.
Griffin is the team leader not only in scoring and rebounding, where he averaged 14.7 points and 9.1 boards, but also in his toughness and energy. He had two separate knee surgeries a year ago and missed only a single game following each. The highly touted freshman seemed to get better with each passing game too, closing out his last seven games by averaging more than 20 points and 14.7 rebounds over that span. He gets help down low from his brother Taylor, who is a big body and a strong rebounder, but doesn’t do a lot to help out on offense. Ryan Wright will get time this year after transferring from UCLA. Wright is an athletic big body who will contribute rebounds and tough defense. Orlando Allen and Kyle Cannon are junior college transfers that will add depth to the frontcourt.
This year Capel is hoping that Warren can come in and live up the hype the same way Griffin did a year ago. He is being talked about as possibly the best recruit the Sooners have ever landed at the guard position and with his ability to score and create his own shot it’s easy to see why. He’s 6′4″ and 207 pounds, plus he’s quick enough to get past defenders. Crocker came up big last year and was lights out from 3-point range. Capel is hoping he can have a breakout junior year. Austin Johnson will man the point spot, but needs to be more consistent running the team. Omar Leary, Cade Davis, and Ray Willis will all eat up some minutes in the backcourt.
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Final Analysis - 2nd in our Big 12 Basketball Predictions
This team needs it’s newcomers to produce for them and if they do, this could be a great season for Sooner fans. You know that Griffin is going to produce, and if Warren is as good as advertised it’s hard to think of a better 1-2 combo in the Big 12. This team has a real shot at sneaking up on people to win the national title, and the odds currently stand at 60-to-1 for them to do just that.
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