College Basketball Recap - Nov 28th

I'm not really in the mood to write this due to my team's outcome yesterday, but the show must go on so here we go:

Oklahoma beat Purdue, 87-82 (OT)

Oklahoma - Okay, so maybe this team isn't just Blake Griffin. But in reality, this would not be a top 25 team without him. He does so much for this team that doesn't show up on the stat sheet. He draws defensive attention and passes well, meaning his teammates open shots. He's a beast on the glass and he keeps possessions alive. But it was the other Oklahoma guys that killed Purdue yesterday. Willie Warren had 22 points to lead the Sooners. This guy is a stud. He's so quick off the dribble and is a gifted finisher at the rim. He made some freshman mistakes but once he gets some college experience the guy's going to be a star. Taylor Griffin had an excellent game as well. I still question the depth of this team, particularly against a squad more athletic than Purdue, but so far I've seen enough to move Oklahoma into my top 10 and possibly the favorite to win the Big 12.

Purdue - The Boilers had two major issues appear yesterday: foul trouble and offensive execution. They rely on the three point shot a ton, which is okay if you can make them, but if the perimeter shots aren't falling this team has a tough time generating offense. Their defense kept them in the lead for a while but eventually the foul problems caught up to them. They were also vulnerable to the dribble drive, especially against Warren. They'll be facing a ton of that vs. Duke, so we'll learn more about this team's defensive ability. They do play some of the best team defense I've seen so far this year, and I don't doubt they'll limit the Duke offense somewhat, but the question is: will this team score enough to beat teams more athletic than them?

Tennessee beat Georgetown, 90-78

Tennessee - They fell down early in the 2nd half after a 23-10 Georgetown run but rallied the troops and basically outworked the Hoyas. They had 8 guys play over 15 minutes, and only two guys played over 22 minutes (Tyler Smith and Bobby Maze) which is a testament to this team's depth and athleticism. For the second straight game the Vols had a starter in foul trouble (Chism this time) and they were able to rally with a small lineup. Once again I had a tough time determining whether or not this team won because they were simply more athletic than Georgetown or because they executed better overall but I do believe if this team ends up in a halfcourt game against someone like a Texas or Gonzaga (who they play Sunday) they will be in a lot of trouble

Georgetown - Solid team. I didn't expect a lot from the Hoyas but they put up a great fight vs. the favored Vols. John Thompson III said he didn't think depth was a factor but when you're playing a deep team like Tennessee who wants to push it for 40 minutes, I guarantee you it becomes a problem at some point. Early on the Hoyas we unable to hold it together vs. the pressure (10 turnovers in the first 15 minutes) but they calmed down and actually had a pretty decent offensive game, with 53% shooting. This Hoya team has a variety of guys that can put the ball in the bucket - DaJuan Summers, Chris Wright, Greg Monroe, Austin Freeman - but nobody that can really take over a game yet (Monroe can be that kind of a player but he was in foul trouble for most of the first half). Overall this team will rely on a methodical style of offense, good movement without the ball, and tight defense to win games but I'm just not sure it's going to be enough to get over .500 in a loaded Big East conference.

There were plenty of other top 25 games on Friday. Gonzaga disposed of Maryland somewhat easily 81-59 and they will meet Tennessee for the championship of the Old Spice Classic on Sunday. Michigan State recovered from their ugly loss to the Terps to beat Oklahoma St. 94-79. They get Wichita State, who beat Siena on Friday, in the 5th place game of that tournament.

Over in the Anaheim Classic, Wake Forest fended off a pesky UTEP team with two Jeff Teague free throws with 14 seconds left to win 82-79. The Demon Deacons were badly outrebounded but still managed to win by shooting 53% from the field compared to 33% for UTEP. The Miners really had no answer for Teague (29 points) or James Johnson (8-13 shooting, 18 points). They will go on to face Baylor, who upset Arizona State 87-78, in the finals. The Bears got great production from their many guards. Jarrels had 22, LaceDarius Dunn had 27 off the bench, and Dugat added 14. Baylor tore apart Arizona State both in their zone set and on the break. As for the Sun Devils, Harden had 32 and Pendergraph had 19 on 6-7 shooting and 7-7 from the line, but it's difficult to win a basketball game when you give up 57% shooting and only force 8 turnovers, especially for a team that plays at Baylor's pace.

Meanwhile, Pitt continues to get good offensive performances from Sam Young and DeJuan Blair as the Panthers beat Texas Tech 80-67. They get a tricky matchup on Saturday: Washington State, who beat Mississippi State 63-52 and I am VERY anxious to see how this Cougars team responds to a talented, athletic team after the pounding they took vs. UNC in last year's tournament. Marquette, Duke, Kansas, and Villanova all won their games on Friday as well.

One other side note: the Las Vegas Invitational may be worth watching tonight. It features West Virginia and Kentucky. I haven't gotten a good look at the Mountaineers this year, and I have an idea of where Kentucky stands, so it'll be good to find out where these two teams need to be ranked.