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Odds To Win The 2009 NCAA Tournament: Oklahoma Sooners

Written by Jimmy Boyd

oklahoma-31809 The Oklahoma Sooners appeared to be well on their way to a Big 12 regular season title and a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance until Blake Griffin went down with a concussion. For as good as the Sooners were this season, it has to be frustrating not to come away with a Big 12 regular season title or a conference tournament championship. After starting the season 25-1, the Sooners lost four of their last six games. This has me wondering if they may have peaked too soon. The Oklahoma Sooners are listed at +1200 to win the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Despite not winning the Big 12, many still feel Oklahoma is the best team out of the conference and their seeding reflects that. The question at hand, though, is not if they can advance further than anyone else in the Big 12 but if they can win a national title. It starts off easy for the Sooners with No. 15 seed Morgan State. Odds makers have listed Oklahoma as a 16.5-point favorite with the total set at 135.5. Oklahoma should be ready to take out some frustrations on a lesser opponent after the way it ended its season.

The Sooners have perhaps the best weapon in college basketball in Blake Griffin. He averages 21.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game while shooting a ridiculous 63.5 percent from the field. Griffin is a beast and will likely be the first player taking in the upcoming NBA draft. He is going to do his part, but teams are not going to want to let him beat them in the paint. That means that he may see double teams and some packed in zone looks to try to control him down there. So it will be up to the supporting cast if Oklahoma hopes to cut down the nets. Willie Warren is a guy on this team that I really like who has the ability to stretch the defense. He is second on the team in scoring with 14.7 points per game and can really light it up from deep. Blake’s brother Taylor Griffin, Tony Crocker, and Austin Johnson average close to double figures as well.

Taking a peak back at the bracket, Oklahoma will either see Michigan or Clemson in round two. The Sooners should have an edge over both teams on the interior so it would take great three point shooting to take the Sooners out. It is possible, but the percentages play to Oklahoma’s favor against either of those teams. The Sooners would likely face Arizona State or Syracuse in the Sweet 16. I think they are better than Arizona State, but if they get Syracuse their tourney run could be over as I think the Orange have more overall talent and they are used to playing against physical posts in the Big East. If the Sooners do get past the Orange, North Carolina will be waiting. I would love to see Tyler Hansbrough and Blake Griffin go at it and so would the NBA scouts.

If you think I’m wrong and Oklahoma has what it takes to cut down the nets, be sure to place a futures wager on the Sooners. Do your college basketball betting with Jimmy Boyd throughout the Big Dance on his expert NCAA basketball picks for the most winners against the basketball lines.

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Written by Jimmy Boyd on March 18, 2009 · Filed Under NCAA Basketball Betting Articles, News & Previews

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