Oklahoma Sooners: Flaws of a Potential Final Four Team

I've seen Oklahoma a couple times this season, including in person in the preseason NIT semifinals against UAB at Madison Square Garden. It was a pleasure to watch Blake Griffin, especially since I picked Oklahoma to reach the Final Four in my preseason picks.

After watching the Sooners live, how do I now feel about my bold prediction? Well, it's still too early to tell. And while Oklahoma is 6-0 after beating Purdue in the preseason NIT finals and ranked No. 6 in the country, I've certainly noticed some flaws that need to be corrected if this team is going to make a serious run in the NCAA Tournament.

Outside Shooting 

Oklahoma has arguably the most dominant big man in the country in Blake Griffin. Without him, we might not even be talking about an NCAA Tournament invite, yet alone a potential trip to Detroit. While his presence is essential to the Sooners' success, they need to hit outside shots to realize their potential.

Aside from Blake and his brother, Taylor Griffin, Oklahoma starts three guards. Willie Warren is a much-hyped freshman who is second on the team with 14.8 points per game. I've realized Warren is more of a slasher than a pure shooter, though, so while he adds offensive production, he has yet to show he can stretch defenses.

Point guard Austin Johnson, from what I've seen, is purely a distributor. I'm sure coach Jeff Capel would like Johnson to score more, but he seems limited offensively. In the NIT games at the Garden, Johnson was often hesitant to pull the trigger from deep, even though he had several open looks. He must improve his play as the point guard position is critical for a deep tournament run.

The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook contains some interesting facts regarding Johnson's shooting. Last year, Oklahoma was 14-1, including an 8-0 record in conference, when he scored in double digits. He's done it once so far this season, and it came in the overtime victory over Purdue.

Blue Ribbon's stats also highlight Tony Crocker's importance to the Sooners. Oklahoma's best guard at this point, Crocker's downside is his inconsistency from long-range. As the Yearbook notes, in the Sooners' 23 wins last season, Crocker shot over 50 percent from deep. In their 12 losses that percentage was cut in half. When he is on, boy, is he on. But so far this season he has struggled, shooting just 7-30 from outside and .286 overall.

The wild card is Cade Davis (pictured above). The sophomore can come off the bench and immediately knock down threes, which is a huge bonus for Capel. In the second half against UAB, Davis hit four three-pointers, all important in a big Oklahoma run. Nearly all of his field goal attemps are from behind the arc, so it's no secret as to why he's in the game.

It's very important that the Sooners shoot a respectable percentage from the outside, or that at least one or two of the guards provide offensive support for Griffin (as was the case vs. Purdue, when Warren and Crocker scored 22 and 12, respectively). Knocking down shots will help to stretch the defense, creating more space for Griffin and, just as important, make defenses pay for double-teaming the superstar. 

Defense

Believe it or not, I'm referring to Blake Griffin here. Often it is difficult to realize on television, but after seeing him in person I noticed he does not challenge many shots at the rim. Sure he grabs every rebound in sight, averaging nearly 20 a game. But for someone listed at 6'10" with his jumping ability, one would think he'd have more than four blocks on the season.

Now any coach will tell you that to be a good defender you don't have to block shots, but as the closest player to the hoop, Griffin should at least step up and challenge some shots. Too often he stands still with his arms up, hoping for a miss, as if he's afraid of picking up a foul. This is surprising, since I don't recall foul trouble being an issue with Griffin last year or so far this season. He needs to learn that a foul, especially when challenging an attempt near the rim, isn't the worst thing.

Aside from Griffin, the Oklahoma guards need to do a good job of preventing dribble penetration. In the first half against UAB, there was an overwhelming number of uncontested lay-ups, as the UAB guards drove past the Sooner defenders and got to the hoop at will. At one point, Capel called a timeout and ripped into his team, presumably demanding a better effort defensively. Whether this lapse was an aberration has yet to be seen. We'll certainly find out once Oklahoma gets into conference play.

Outside shooting and team defense are going to be the most important factors in determing Oklahoma's success. By that I mean I expect Blake Griffin to continue to dominate and am focusing more on areas in which the Sooners can improve.

The continued development of Warren is also key to Oklahoma's success. If the freshman gets more comfortable and improves as the season goes, he could be a huge asset. This is particularly so if he finds his stroke from outside.

How much the Sooners improve in these areas will determine whether they'll be upset in the second or third round of the Big Dance or advance to the Final Four. With Blake Griffin a near lock to leave for the NBA after this season, it would be a shame if his talents went to waste.