Golden Griffin

Apparently there are other players on the Oklahoma Sooner roster but the only one anyone seems to want to talk about is Blake Griffin.  So let's get to know the big lug, shall we?

Blake is destined to play his entire career in the state of Oklahoma.  Born in Oklahoma City, he attended Oklahoma Christian School where he led the basketball team to FOUR state championships.  He was named POY by the Oklahoman in both his junior and senior seasons.  Named a McDonald's All-American, he decided to attend Oklahoma. 

He averaged 14 and 9 as a freshman last season but a torn MCL and torn cartilage in his right knee cut into the year.  Griffin bounced back this season for a monster statline of 22.5 PPG and 14.4 RPG.  If he goes pro, as he's expected to, he will likely be the #1 pick in the NBA draft.  One of the teams that will be vying for his services via the lottery?  The Oklahoma City Thunder.  Natch.

It's not just about stats for Griffin.  He's an imposing figure on the court.  And if given the opportunity, possibly on another playing surface as well:

That's what it's like to train Griffin, a 6-foot-10 forward who is all of 251 pounds, with barely 5% body fat. He is the strongest player for his age -- he just turned 20 -- the team's medical trainer, Alex Brown, has seen in 22 years with the program.

If there were weight-room records, Rich says, Griffin would be in the top three in every category.

If he could, Bob Stoops would borrow him in a minute.

"He'd be an All-American tight end if he wanted," the Sooners football coach says.

So far in the tournmant, he has lived up to billing and gotten it done.  Quite literally.

Bloodied by countless Michigan defenders, Griffin scored 33 points on 14-for-20 shooting with 17 rebounds in Oklahoma's 73-63 victory on Saturday. The Wolverines made stopping Griffin their No. 1 priority, but there's nothing they could do to slow down the sophomore big man.

In the first round, Griffin had 28 points and 13 boards in a win over Morgan State. He is the standout star of the Tournament so far and his ability to overcome the constant battering makes him the easy choice for Get It Done honors.

Although to be fair, Morgan State did figure out how to stop Griffin.  Body-slam him.

Sean Williams, your Syracuse career finally has purpose.  Get it done.

Some are already looking ahead to the weekend and a showdown between Griffin and Tyler Hansbrough.  But the Orange will do what they can to disappoint everyone.  Unfortunately, not only do they have to deal with Griffin but they also have to deal with the fact that Griffin has something he'd like to prove to Jim Boeheim specifically.

“When I played for the USA team, he was one of the guys on the selection committee,” Griffin said.

“He cut me.”

Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy...you weren't thinking long-term, were you?