Oklahoma-Syracuse: 2009 Men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Picks ATS, March 27

No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners (29-5, 13-3 Big 12) vs. No. 3 Syracuse Orange (28-9, 11-7 Big East)

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16—South Region
Friday, March 27—7:27 PM ET on CBS

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Preview

This game is, quite possibly, the most anticipated one of the Sweet 16.

How will National Player of the Year contender Blake Griffin do against a tough Syracuse 2-3 zone? Will Syracuse's backcourt continue to drain treys exactly on cue? How will the Sooner guards handle the high energy and intensity of Syracuse? Will Coach Boeheim get his 800th win in the Sweet 16 or will he have to wait until next season?

With all of these questions and more out there, it's no wonder CBS will be the most popular hangout spot Friday night.

The Sooners have had a fantastic season no matter how you look at it. They were undefeated in conference play until they lost Blake Griffin for two games with a concussion (and those losses came against Texas and Kansas).

They also slipped down the stretch and gave one game to Missouri, but as a three-seed in the NCAA Tournament you can hardly fault them for that. Their biggest loss came in the Big 12 Tournament when Oklahoma State beat them by one on a last second basket (and a missed three-point attempt by the Sooners).

Syracuse started and finished the season very strong—a mediocre January and February held them back from a higher tournament seed. Their squad features five players who average double-figures (although not all of them are starters) and they are lead by sophomore sensation Jonny Flynn—surprisingly the only Syracuse player named to an All-Big East Team (Second Team).

Blake Griffin was named as the Big 12 Player of the Year and Willie Warren was named as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Warren was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team, and Austin Johnson was given All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Don't let the lack of individual Orange awards fool you—they are a force to be reckoned with. The Sooners will undoubtedly learn that, and the only question is whether Oklahoma's backcourt will be able to get it done from the perimeter. Griffin is going to have his work cut out for him at the heart of the 2-3 zone, and considering Syracuse has stacked up against the likes of Hasheem Thabeet and DeJuan Blair this season, they will be ready for a dominant big man.

These two teams stack up very well against each other, so get ready for what is shaping up to be the best Sweet 16 game of 2009.

By The Numbers

	Record	Conf	ATS	RPI	SOS	PF	PA
No. 3 Syracuse	28-9	11-7	18-15	12	7	80.5	71.5
No. 2 Oklahoma	29-5	13-3	15-12-2	5	26	79.1	67.3

	FG%	D. FG%	3P%	D. 3P%	FT%	RPG	SPG	APG	TPG	BPG
No. 3 Syracuse	48.7	40.7	34.3	28.9	64.0	44.0	7.8	18.2	15.4	5.3
No. 2 Oklahoma	49.2	39.4	35.6	34.0	67.7	42.0	6.8	14.5	13.7	4.5

Stats Leaders

	No. 3 Syracuse	No. 2 Oklahoma
PPG	J. Flynn - 17.5	B. Griffin - 22.5
	E. Devendorf - 15.8	W. Warren - 14.7
	P. Harris - 12.4	T. Griffin - 9.8
RPG	P. Harris - 8.1	B. Griffin - 14.4
APG	J. Flynn - 6.7	A. Johnson - 3.9
SPG	J. Flynn - 1.5	A. Johnson - 1.3
BPG	R. Jackson - 1.6	B. Griffin - 1.2

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Prediction

To see the line, the final analysis, and Ryan's FREE Pick Against the Spread, please head over to The Sports Chat Place!