Are the Oklahoma Sooners the Team To Beat in March?

Let's be honest with ourselves. We didn't see this coming. We didn't see him coming.

We knew Oklahoma was going to be good, but really, this good? Nah.

We're at the point where teams either start to fall a part (Syracuse has dropped seven of 10), they start to pick up the pieces (Arizona won seven in a row before losing to Arizona State by two), or they actually start establishing their identity.

Before Sunday night's loss to Kansas and before the loss that preceded it, Blake Griffin and the Sooners looked damn-near invincible, and hell, they probably even thought so, themselves.

However, they still had the media on their backs about being an elite team. Would they be able to handle the pressure of the tournament? Are they deep enough at guard and overall to make a deep run, and most importantly, can they compete without Blake Griffin?

If you saw what Oklahoma was able to do in their last two losses, you might find yourself answering yes to all three of those questions.

It's become quite obvious that Blake Griffin, concussed or not, completely changes the tone of the game. And while there's no doubt Oklahoma would prefer to have him playing, not having him for these last two games, in the end, will be the best thing that could have happened to them.

They know what they have when he's there. He's the 6'10", 250-pounder with no fear, and no off-button. And until two games ago, it was the entire country's fear that there would be no stopping him.

Oklahoma's only blemish on the season came to Arkansas, a fluke loss that saw the Sooners surrender 96 points (the most for any opponent on the season), as they watched the Razorbacks shoot a blistering 51 percent, including 46 percent from beyond the arc.

It also probably didn't help that Griffin fouled out.

It's really as simple as that, isn't it? If he fouls out, they lose. He got injured, they lost. And if he doesn't even play? You get the idea.

But is that the reality, or is that just what we want to think we're seeing? When it comes down to the seeds and the rankings, while everyone is picking North Carolina, Duke, UConn, and other powerhouse teams to win it all, will Blake Griffin just be laughing?

Despite Griffin's beast-like stature and untouchable athleticism, there is something else to be found about him and the rest of his team that is far more impressive.

They can shoot and they can flat-out play.

They lost their last two games, sure, but they weren't playing pancake teams. These weren't two more Arkansas squads. They lost to Texas and Kansas. And they didn't even have their key cog.

Kansas coach Bill Self even admitted, "We caught an unbelievable break tonight with Blake being out. It (his presence) certainly would have changed a lot of things".

Yet, without their main man, they kept the games close (down 74-71 with just under three minutes left) with their lights-out guard play, as well as the tenacious defense and inside presence of Blake's brother, Taylor Griffin.

So, just by score and stats alone, it's becoming quite clear that this team is not over-hyped or overrated. They don't just lean on their brick wall forward. No, quite to the contrary, they can stand alone, and at the same time, together.

But as heart-warming as all that cohesive, mushy, "they're a good team without him" talk is, there seems to be a landmark fact that people are missing, even if it's only for a second:

Blake Griffin will be back.

And even if the Sooners don't absolutely need to, they will rely on him. He will continue his jaw-dropping season with more double-doubles.

He will put up more games of 20 points and 20 rebounds. We will see dunks, dunks, and more dunks. And by God, we will see these Sooners win.

Because as good as Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the country can be, it just doesn't make much sense to bet against this kid.