John Shinn
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Oklahoma won its first NCAA Tournament game since 2005 Friday. So the pressure’s off, right?
In some ways, yes.
The sixth-seeded Sooners (23-11) will try to advance to the Sweet 16 with a victory over third-seeded Louisville (25-8) at 4 p.m. today in the second round of the East Regional at AJCC Arena.
For a team that was never ranked in the Associated Press nor the coaches’ Top 25 all season, reaching the second round is a remarkable accomplishment.
But for one of the few times all season, OU didn’t look like a team playing with the weight of the world on its shoulders Friday night against Saint Joseph’s.
Fighting injuries, fighting to rise in the Big 12 Conference standings and fighting to get into the NCAA Tournament was a brawl the Sooners went through daily over the last two months. Yet Friday there was no fight, just a game to win.
“Last night, we were just having fun out on the court,” forward Taylor Griffin said. “It’s amazing how that can affect your performance when you’re having fun.”
The statistics bear it out.
OU shot 57.1 percent for the game, marking their best shooting effort since hitting at a 60-percent rate in the second game of the season against Denver.
Even when Saint Joseph’s made a second-half run to get back in the game, panic never set in.
OU just executed the stretch and pulled away.
Playing loose definitely has it’s advantages. Rarely have coaches even said their team isn’t tight enough.
It will face the same situation again today, but they’ll be going against a much better team.
“We know that they’re a great team, they’re not going to overlook anybody, no matter if they were a six or if we were a three,” OU’s David Godbold said. “We just have to be the same way and we just have to want it more.”
The Cardinals, who’ve won 10 of their last 12 games, tied for second in the Big East and have been ranked all season, are the clear-cut favorites to move on to Thursday night’s regional semifinals in Charlotte, N.C.
If it happens, it will mark the program’s 16th trip to the Sweet 16. Only North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke and UCLA have reached that far more.
Then again, the Sooners also have a proud NCAA Tournament history. A victory today would give OU eight trips to the regional semifinals and three since 2002.
“We’re also trying to prove a point that we feel like we belong here and we feel like we can compete here,” OU’s Blake Griffin said.
In the end, motivation is always a big part of March Madness. Teams play games for four months to ultimately set themselves up for the tournament.
“Two teams are going to want it badly, the motivation comes from the hard work and perspiration you put in the off months to try and get better,” Pitino said. “Come game night it’s going to boil down to execution at the offensive and defensive ends.”
OU opened the NCAA Tournament playing about as well as it has all season. Being able to cast the pressure of the regular season aside helped in many ways.
“It would have been nice if we could have figured this out earlier. It might have saved us a few losses,” Taylor Griffin said. “But it’s the perfect time to come together.”
It’s never too late.
John Shinn
366-3536
jshinn@normantranscript.com
