We're going to BEAT Oklahoma tomorrow!
That's right! I SAID IT!..........WHAT!!
And here's how we're going to do it!
- Find a way to get Blake Griffin in foul trouble
- Find a way to get Taylor Griffin in foul trouble
- Start Charles Boozer at the 2 and have him play hard defense. He's the only guy right now making all of the hustle plays and working his tail off. I'd rather have him play than some of the other guys
- Clone Brackins 3 times!
- Shut down Willie Warren
Ok seriously, OU is a damn good team. Class of the Big XII by far. No doubt. The only way Arkansas was able to beat them was they built up a 25 point lead in the first half. Even then, OU only lost by 8!
The bottom line is that the Cyclones need to figure out how to have a balanced scoring attack. That's the ONLY way you're going to beat a team averaging 81 points. We need to move around and score on the perimeter. We're going to need 10-15 3s!
I have thrown out this notion that we play great defense. I think our defense is OK. Our problem against KU and CU is that we've been turning the ball over too much and allowing these high-scoring transition teams to get out and run. If you get these teams running, your defense doesn't matter as much
If we can find a way to score 75 points, play some good defense, and NOT turn the ball over, we can make it a game.. We would then control the pace so that OU isn't running around, getting into the 90s!
Those are big "ifs" though. While I am hoping for a competitive game, the story line most ISU fans will be watching is Blake Griffin vs. Craig Brackins. I'm not sure who's guarding who, but it will be interesting to see these guys go at it. Griffin is a stud, and I think he has the ability to expose Brackins a little.
Something that Griffin doesn't get credit for is how quick he is. He's big, but he's a little short (like 6'7 or 6'8) for a big, but has good quickness and a decent mid-range jumper.
Don't get me wrong. Brackins is a good player. I just see many areas where he needs to improve, where I see Griffin as a pretty complete basketball player. Bottom line is that while I'm not predicting Brackins to dominate, we will learn a big lesson.
To be the best, you have to beat the best. It will be a good chance for Brackins to go against future NBA-talent to see how he measures up. Knowing his work ethic, I know he'll take what he learns to improve his game so that he can take it to the next level.
I will be there at Hilton tomorrow screaming my lungs out! I HOPE for a close game, but in the end, I'm sure we'll be talking about Griffin and Brackins more than what the final score was...