Oklahoma 60, UNC 72
Boxscore |
RecapAs many people have commented, this was an odd game for us. Ultimately, I think it showed our versatility. It was clear that OU did not want to run with us. If their goal was to minimize the number of possessions, that means they had to keep it close. After we stretched it out to beyond a 10 point lead, that was like having a 20 point lead in a faster paced game. In half-court games, each possession is that much more important than in an up-and-down game. And we showed we can flourish this way too.
Blake Griffin was as good as advertised, but we did a reasonable job keeping him under control, especially in the first half. OU's outside game was completely non-existent for about 38 minutes. That's another big reason this game never got close....OU couldn't hit the side of a barn from beyond 15 feet.
Tyler Hansbrough didn't have a great game, but fortunately we didn't need him to. Danny Green had a great game and Ty Lawson worked his usual magic.
I thought the officiating was really, really bad. Inconsistent and at times lop-sided. They called a bunch of little touch fouls that impacted the flow of the game quite a bit.
Next up is Villanova in the Final Four. Villanova is a mirror image of Duke, except better. We have an obvious size advantage. It will be interesting to see how Villanova tries to offset that. They will have a hard time matching up against us. But if they are knocking down their shots from beyond the arc, our size advantage won't help much.
