Oklahoma-Syracuse: Sooners Slam Orange

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Oklahoma beat No. 3 seed Syracuse 71-84. It was a great run by the Orange, but alas it was not good enough. They made it to the Big East championship game, but couldn't stop the No. 2 seed Oklahoma.

Oklahoma's Blake Griffin scored 30 points and had 14 rebounds, and Tony Crocker added a career-high 28 points as the second-seeded Sooners beat Syracuse 84-71 Friday night and advanced to their first Elite Eight since 2003.

Oklahoma (30-5) moved on tonight to play either top-seeded North Carolina or Gonzaga next Sunday, looking for their first Final Four since 2002. The last time the Sooners made it this far, Syracuse beat them en route to their own national championship.

And all that talk of an All-Big East Final Four?

That's over with now. Syracuse was the league's one representative left in the South Region. The Orange (28-10) finally ran out of the magic that helped them pull off such wins as their six-overtime marathon over Connecticut in the Big East tournament.

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