The good news for the OU men's basketball team is that they are heading to Madison Square Garden in New York to play in the Final Four of the 2K College Hoops Challenge. The bad news for the Sooners is that the third ranked Memphis Tigers will be there waiting on them.
Oklahoma dominated the Denver Pioneers thanks largely to the Sooner bench who outscored their counterparts 34-15 propelling OU to an 80-50 win. Tony Crocker scored 9 points (all on three point shots) in the first five minutes of the game to get OU's scoring going but the Poineers were able to hang around through the first eight minutes until Jeff Capel went to his bench.
Leading only 15-14 at the 11:52 mark of the first half David Godbold, Keith Clark and Omar Leary checked into the game and the Sooners went on a 16-0 run to pull away.
Freshman Blake Griffin led the team in scoring again with but was joined by Omar Leary, Taylor Griffin and Tony Crocker in double figures.
Sooner Studs
Blake Griffin 15 points, 3 rebounds
Omar Leary 14 points, 2 rebounds
Taylor Griffin 12 points, 3 rebounds
Tony Crocker 12 points, 1 rebound
Unsung Hero
Keith Clark 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists
Sub Par Performance
Austin Johson 0 points, 2 fouls, 1 assist
Final Notes
11 turnovers is still on the high side
OU out rebounded Denver by 11 27-16
OU won the points in the paint 28-14
OU won points off turnovers 32-11
OU shot 60% from the floor
Blake Griffin was named the 2K College Hoops Challenge Norman Regional MVP