Oklahoma knows it is talented. But it doesn't know how or if that talent will come together on the basketball court.
Those two lingering questions will begin to be answered at 7 tonight when the Sooners face the University of British Columbia at Lloyd Noble Center.
The Sooners will start true freshmen point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin and power forward Tiny Gallon. Senior forward Ryan Wright will try to prove he's ready for a greatly increased role from last season.
There's no doubt the change in personnel is expected to give the Sooners a different look this season. After two seasons of feeding Blake Griffin in the post, it's returning guards Willie Warren and Tony Crocker who will be the focus.
"We're going to be a lot quicker and there's going to be a lot more ball screens," Warren said. "We tried to run the floor last year, but I think running the floor is going to be a lot different this year than it was last year."
Tonight will be the first opportunity to see how fast the Sooners have evolved in two-and-half weeks of practice.
Capel admits little is set in stone. Outside of Warren and Crocker, the Sooners have a roster full players with lots to prove.
"We have some guys that are right there, who are pushing for it," Capel said. "It's going to be determined by, No. 1, who knows our stuff and, No. 2, who knows what we are trying to accomplish; who understands the significance of playing every possession and competing every possession; someone who can do the little things for us. That is going to be big for this team this year."
Steps can be taken in practice, but only so much can happen in a controlled environment. There figures to be a pretty big talent gap between OU and UBC, but no familiarity.
"I am excited about the direction we are going and am really anxious to see us play against someone else," Capel said.
John Shinn 366-3536 jshinn@normantranscript.com
OU Sports
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