KU-OU Loses Importance Without Griffin

Count me among those who wishes Blake Griffin was playing tonight against Kansas. This was supposed to be a battle of Big 12 giants fighting for the claim of best team in the conference. Oklahoma, a projected #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, should have been the greatest test of the season for the Jayhawks. And they still might be. It will be interesting to see how Willie Warren responds to being the guy, and one could make a convincing argument that playing without Griffin will actually be good for OU.

The same cannot be said for Kansas. They are being robbed of a chance to go up against the premier post player in the country, on the road no less. Cole Aldrich in particular could have benefited greatly in testing his skills against a sure-fire All American in Griffin. The matchup between Griffin and Aldrich would have been a classic case of unstoppable force meets immovable object, the Big 12's best offensive player against its best defensive force.

It also would have been a great learning experience for a team that lost its only two non-conference road games by a combined 30 points, to Arizona and Michigan State. In fact, Kansas has only played 8 road games this season, compared to 16 home games. Their three neutral court games, at the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, were de facto home games that their opponents (Syracuse, Washington, UMass) traveled halfway across the country for.

This would have been an excellent chance to match up against elite competition on the road. Now, the dynamics of the game have shifted dramatically. Instead of the pressure being on Oklahoma to protect their home court, it will fall directly on the shoulders of the Jayhawks to beat the Blake-Griffin less Sooners and grab sole claim of first place in the Big 12. Even without Griffin, OU is a dangerous team capable of pulling off victories, especially at home. Coming off a loss to a previously reeling Texas team, they will be eager to show their worth against the best team from the Big 12 North. While Kansas loses the opportunity to play against the best player in the country, they will still need to bring their best to pull out a victory.