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2007 Oklahoma Basketball Predictions & Season Preview

The Oklahoma Sooners had made the NCAA Tournament 25 straight times before its streak was snapped last season. Find out if head coach Jeff Capel can get the Sooners back in the Big Dance this year in Jimmy’s 2007 Oklahoma Sooners predictions and season preview.

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Not enough depth, not enough talent, and not enough energy resulted in a sub par 6-10 Big 12 mark and just a 16-15 overall record a season ago. If the Sooners are going to make a turnaround this year, they’ll have to do it with youth. A promising recruiting class, led by All-American Blake Griffin, gives the Sooners some hope and that hope has been reflected in the college basketball odds.

Capel feels his five recruits will make his team more athletic and a better rebounding squad. What I want to know is if it will improve Oklahoma’s poor shooting percentage, ranking ninth in the Big 12 at 43.5 percent, and its low scoring average, ranking next to last in the league just ahead of Iowa State.

The Sooners hope that Griffin will be their next big scorer. The 6’10’’ star averaged 26.8 points and 15.1 boards per game in his senior season at Oklahoma Christian. This kid is a proven winner having carried his high school to four straight state titles. Landing Griffin was huge for Oklahoma. Center Longar Longar will patrol the middle again at the center position. He was the team’s second leading scorer and leading rebounder a season ago. A healthy Keith Clark, and Taylor Griffin, Blake’s older brother, will give the Sooners more depth.

While the frontcourt will stand up to anyone in the Big 12, the backcourt is lacking. Capel would like to play at a faster pace, and he is hoping that he can find some guards capable of doing so. But a faster tempo often means more turnovers and poor shots and that’s a risk he doesn’t want to take. As now, it looks like juco transfer Omar Leary will take over the point guard duties. He’s a pure point who looks for his teammates first, but his ability to push the tempo is not yet known. Capel is big on wing Tony Crocker, who is an athletic slasher with the ability to stroke it as well.

The Sooners are just too young right now, but their talent level has risen and it should have Oklahoma hoops fans excited. An NCAA Tournament berth is potentially there for the taking if Griffin is as good as advertised. The NIT is probably more realistic for the Sooners this season though.