Kansas-Oklahoma: Blake Griffin's Status Still Questionable

The Kansas Jayhawks (22-5 11-1) travel to Norman, Okla., tonight to take on the Oklahoma Sooners (25-2 11-1) in a game that has Big XII title implications.

Obviously, this game will lose a lot of its luster should Sooners power forward Blake Griffin not be able to play after suffering a mild concussion in Saturday's loss to Texas.

OU head coach Jeff Capel is saying that Griffin will likely be a game time decision. KU coach Bill Self has his guys preparing for Griffin no matter the decision.

The Jayhawks and Self would like to see Griffin in the game, which would add to the competitive spirit of the contest. Last year, Griffin was injured early on in the game at Allen Fieldhouse and was sidelined for the duration of it.

If Griffin plays tonight, it will be unlikely that he will have the chance to play KU again, unless the two teams meet in the conference tournament in March, given his NBA Draft prowess.


Keys To The Game

If Griffin is going to play, the obvious keys for the Jayhawks are going to be to box out and rebound as best as they can. Cole Aldrich did a fantastic job against a tough post man in Tyler Hansbrough in last year's national semifinal game, and a similar performance tonight should help KU's chances should Griffin play.

It is likely that he will sit the game out, and if that is the case, the keys change to the backcourt. Whoever wins the guard battle should end up victorious in this game.

Offensively, both sets of guards need to assert themselves. If either team gets hot from three-point range, they'll be tough to stop.

Having said that, OU does not defend the three well, and KU should take advantage of that. It will be key for KU to play good perimeter defense and not allow the likes of Austin Johnson to get hot from behind the arc.

Sherron Collins must calm down and handle the crowd smoothly. He was unable to do that in the Jayhawks’ games against Syracuse, Michigan State, and Missouri. Each of those games resulted in a Kansas loss.

For Oklahoma, the guards will have to have big games, especially if Griffin is out. If they can control the tempo, and make plays, then they should put themselves in great position to beat the Jayhawks.


Final Thoughts

If Griffin is held out of this game, it will certainly be a bummer. OU will not want to lose two games in a row, and consequently the Big XII lead.

Conventional wisdom would say that KU has a great shot at getting the victory with Griffin on the sideline. I tend to agree with that assumption.

However, I think I'd be picking KU even if Griffin is able to play. I think Kansas matches up well with him in the game.

The Jayhawks have three big men that will be able to give him a tough time in Aldrich and the Morris twins, as well as the 15 fouls to give among the three of them. I think they'll wear him out if he does play.

Obviously, Kansas matches up even better with Griffin out. If he is out, I'd expect to see a Jayhawks team that looks to be efficient enough on the offensive side of the ball that will allow their defense to take over the game.

If KU guards the ball well, I think they'll win the game, Griffin or no Griffin. Kansas has something to play for in this one—the Big XII title.

If Kansas can win tonight, they'll be looking to put away their fifth straight conference title when they host the Missouri Tigers on Saturday.


Prediction

With or without Blake Griffin this game will be entertaining. KU has a conference title to play for and will have to play great defense to get there, but I think they'll edge it out late.

Kansas 80 Oklahoma 73