This is from the Missouri rivals site:
Three Things You Need to Know About the Sooners
Tough with Griffin: With Blake Griffin in the lineup, the Sooners are 26-and-1 this season, the lone loss coming to Arkansas. Without Griffin's services, Oklahoma is 0-and-2. OU lost to Texas and Kansas while Griffin was sidelined with a concussion. The big man came back against Texas Tech over the weekend and keyed a Sooner win with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Living at the Line: The Sooners have attempted more free throws than any team in the Big 12. With 760 trips to the stripe, Oklahoma has 37 more free throws attempts than Texas A&M and 79 more than third-place Oklahoma State. OU has also made the most freebies with 519. Griffin has taken 258 free throws, more than twice as many as any other Sooner. The super sophomore is shooting just 59.3% at the line and as a team, the Sooners rank ninth in the league in free throw percentage.
Short Bench: The Sooners have only seven players averaging more than nine minutes per game. Each starter plays at least 29 minutes a night. With Juan Patillo suspended and Willie Warren playing just 12 minutes against Texas Tech, Jeff Capel's team saw five players on the floor for at least 32 minutes apiece. Five Sooners have had at least one game in which they played 39 minutes or more.
Three Things You Need to Know About the Tigers
Bouncing Back: Missouri is coming off just its fifth loss of the season. After each of their previous four defeats, the Tigers bounced back with an emphatic win. After losses, Missouri has beaten Fairfield, SIU-Edwardsville, Colorado and Baylor by an average of 35 points per contest. Only the Bears, who fell 89-72 to Mizzou, have come within 28 points of the Tigers in the game following a Missouri loss.
Perfect Home Season at Stake: Missouri has not lost a game on its home court all season, running up a 17-and-0 record. The Tigers have won those 17 games by an average of 26.1 points, the most lopsided home scoring margin in the country. Mizzou has won 15 of its 17 home games by double digits, including six of its seven Big 12 home contests. Oklahoma is 9-and-2 on the road this season, including a 6-and-1 mark in Big 12 play.
Threes a Key: A common thread has run through Missouri's losses this season. In their five losses, the Tigers have made just 26-of-98 shots from three-point range (26.53%). Mizzou was actually 10-for-19 in the loss to Kansas State, which means they shot just 20.25% from distance in the other four losses. The Tigers were 3-for-17 from three-point range against Kansas and did not make a shot outside the paint the entire first half in digging a 45-19 halftime hole.
Three Keys to the Game
Cover the Shooters: Most will point to the defense against Griffin as the key, but it is his supporting cast that has been big in many Sooner wins. Griffin will get his points every night. What the Tigers have to avoid is letting one of the other Sooners going crazy. In a five-point win over Purdue, Warren scored 22 and got to the free throw line 13 times. In a close win over Colorado, Tony Crocker hit seven three-pointers. In beating Oklahoma State, it was Austin Johnson that made five triples. So much of what the Sooners do comes off Griffin kicking the ball out to shooters. Missouri's perimeter defense has to be strong to give the Tigers a chance.
Battle on the Boards: Blake Griffin leads the nation in rebounding and his brother, Taylor Griffin, pulls down six a night. The duo is particularly good on the offensive glass, where 28.8% of their total rebounds have come. Missouri cannot allow the Sooners to get a lot of second-chance points, which is where Griffin really makes a killing. Overall, the Sooners average just a couple rebounds more per game than the Tigers. If Mizzou can compete on the boards the way it did against Kansas State last week, their chances go up significantly.
Speed it Up: Missouri always wants to run, but certain teams (like Kansas and Kansas State) are more equipped to handle a frenetic pace than the Sooners. Oklahoma is not a deep team at all. They will rely primarily on six players all night long. If the Tigers can run all night and push the game into the eighties, it should wear the Griffin brothers down and favor the Tigers. In conference play, only two teams have managed to break 80 against Oklahoma. Oklahoma State scored 81 in a loss while Kansas put up 87 in its win in Norman.
Official Prediction:
This game does not mean much as far as the standings go. Sure, it would be nice to finish second, but no matter what happens, the Tigers and Sooners will be set to meet again in the Big 12 tournament semifinals. But from a momentum standpoint, this one is huge. Not only do the Tigers want to avoid back-to-back losses, but with a road trip to Texas A&M, which will be playing for an NCAA tournament bid, looming, Missouri could be staring at three straight losses to end the season if they drop this one. It may be going out on a limb, but we think the Tigers get it done here. Look for DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons to play inspired ball due to the combination of Griffin being in town and this being the final home game for the two senior forwards. Add in the Mizzou Arena rims that have been friendly to the Tigers most of the year and we'll call an 86-82 Tiger win.
Three Things You Need to Know About the Sooners
Tough with Griffin: With Blake Griffin in the lineup, the Sooners are 26-and-1 this season, the lone loss coming to Arkansas. Without Griffin's services, Oklahoma is 0-and-2. OU lost to Texas and Kansas while Griffin was sidelined with a concussion. The big man came back against Texas Tech over the weekend and keyed a Sooner win with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Living at the Line: The Sooners have attempted more free throws than any team in the Big 12. With 760 trips to the stripe, Oklahoma has 37 more free throws attempts than Texas A&M and 79 more than third-place Oklahoma State. OU has also made the most freebies with 519. Griffin has taken 258 free throws, more than twice as many as any other Sooner. The super sophomore is shooting just 59.3% at the line and as a team, the Sooners rank ninth in the league in free throw percentage.
Short Bench: The Sooners have only seven players averaging more than nine minutes per game. Each starter plays at least 29 minutes a night. With Juan Patillo suspended and Willie Warren playing just 12 minutes against Texas Tech, Jeff Capel's team saw five players on the floor for at least 32 minutes apiece. Five Sooners have had at least one game in which they played 39 minutes or more.
Three Things You Need to Know About the Tigers
Bouncing Back: Missouri is coming off just its fifth loss of the season. After each of their previous four defeats, the Tigers bounced back with an emphatic win. After losses, Missouri has beaten Fairfield, SIU-Edwardsville, Colorado and Baylor by an average of 35 points per contest. Only the Bears, who fell 89-72 to Mizzou, have come within 28 points of the Tigers in the game following a Missouri loss.
Perfect Home Season at Stake: Missouri has not lost a game on its home court all season, running up a 17-and-0 record. The Tigers have won those 17 games by an average of 26.1 points, the most lopsided home scoring margin in the country. Mizzou has won 15 of its 17 home games by double digits, including six of its seven Big 12 home contests. Oklahoma is 9-and-2 on the road this season, including a 6-and-1 mark in Big 12 play.
Threes a Key: A common thread has run through Missouri's losses this season. In their five losses, the Tigers have made just 26-of-98 shots from three-point range (26.53%). Mizzou was actually 10-for-19 in the loss to Kansas State, which means they shot just 20.25% from distance in the other four losses. The Tigers were 3-for-17 from three-point range against Kansas and did not make a shot outside the paint the entire first half in digging a 45-19 halftime hole.
Three Keys to the Game
Cover the Shooters: Most will point to the defense against Griffin as the key, but it is his supporting cast that has been big in many Sooner wins. Griffin will get his points every night. What the Tigers have to avoid is letting one of the other Sooners going crazy. In a five-point win over Purdue, Warren scored 22 and got to the free throw line 13 times. In a close win over Colorado, Tony Crocker hit seven three-pointers. In beating Oklahoma State, it was Austin Johnson that made five triples. So much of what the Sooners do comes off Griffin kicking the ball out to shooters. Missouri's perimeter defense has to be strong to give the Tigers a chance.
Battle on the Boards: Blake Griffin leads the nation in rebounding and his brother, Taylor Griffin, pulls down six a night. The duo is particularly good on the offensive glass, where 28.8% of their total rebounds have come. Missouri cannot allow the Sooners to get a lot of second-chance points, which is where Griffin really makes a killing. Overall, the Sooners average just a couple rebounds more per game than the Tigers. If Mizzou can compete on the boards the way it did against Kansas State last week, their chances go up significantly.
Speed it Up: Missouri always wants to run, but certain teams (like Kansas and Kansas State) are more equipped to handle a frenetic pace than the Sooners. Oklahoma is not a deep team at all. They will rely primarily on six players all night long. If the Tigers can run all night and push the game into the eighties, it should wear the Griffin brothers down and favor the Tigers. In conference play, only two teams have managed to break 80 against Oklahoma. Oklahoma State scored 81 in a loss while Kansas put up 87 in its win in Norman.
Official Prediction:
This game does not mean much as far as the standings go. Sure, it would be nice to finish second, but no matter what happens, the Tigers and Sooners will be set to meet again in the Big 12 tournament semifinals. But from a momentum standpoint, this one is huge. Not only do the Tigers want to avoid back-to-back losses, but with a road trip to Texas A&M, which will be playing for an NCAA tournament bid, looming, Missouri could be staring at three straight losses to end the season if they drop this one. It may be going out on a limb, but we think the Tigers get it done here. Look for DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons to play inspired ball due to the combination of Griffin being in town and this being the final home game for the two senior forwards. Add in the Mizzou Arena rims that have been friendly to the Tigers most of the year and we'll call an 86-82 Tiger win.
