6 • Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Oklahoma Daily | OUDaily.com
SPORTS
TOMORROW ›› Sooner women’s golf team finishes final-round action at the UNLV Spring Invitational in Boulder City, Nev.
James Corley, sports editor dailysports@ou.edu • phone: 405-325-3666
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Sooners to face Lady Raiders
Big 12 Championship Tournament Kansas City, Mo. WOMEN’S
OU looking forward to clean start, day of rest in conference tournament
Game 1 — 11 a.m. Tuesday
71 45
ANNELISE RUSSELL The Oklahoma Daily
Time to pull out the Swiffer Sweeper. The records, accolades and win streaks will be swept away as OU women’s basketball opens the Big 12 tournament against Texas Tech today in Kansas City, Mo. The Sooners will have a third opportunity to play Texas Tech after the Lady Raiders defeated Oklahoma State on Tuesday 75-52. Texas Tech scored 49 points in the second half to put away the Cowgirls after a narrow Lady Raider lead heading into halftime. The Sooners and Lady Raiders split the regular season, each winning at home. Texas Tech may be unranked, but senior guard Danielle Robinson noted that in the Big 12 tournament rankings mean very little. “Some people are vying for an NCAA bid, and they really have nothing to lose,” Robinson said. “And they just come in there and shoot extremely well. You get everybody’s best shot.” Teams will bring their best to Kansas City, but for OU, the opponent is not what actually matters. “Whoever wins, that’s who we’re looking forward to playing,” Robinson said. “I think we’re just going in there with a clean slate and just looking to play our basketball game.” Oklahoma enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed, giving the Sooners a first-round bye and another day of rest. Robinson said she welcomes the extra time. “I say we’ll take it; it’s an advantage just for your body mostly,” Robinson said. “When we go there, we expect to play all three days, and having that first day off is huge.” For OU, taking that extra day could be essential to regrouping after closing out the regular season with a 61-56 loss to Texas Tech on Saturday. The Sooners struggled in their last meeting with the Lady Raiders — Robinson struggled with only seven points — but one bright spot for OU looking forward was the consistent play of freshman center Nicole Griffin, who had a career-high 14 points. Griffin emerged this season from far down the bench after totaling only 11 minutes in the first five games of conference play to become a mainstay in the OU starting five. The 6-foot-6-inch rookie
Game 2 — 1:30 p.m. Tuesday
69 61 Game 3 — 5 p.m. Tuesday
MEN’S Game 1 — 11:30 today vs.
Game 2 — 2 today vs.
Game 3 — 6 tonight
79 66 Game 4 — 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
vs.
Game 4 — 8:30 tonight
75 52 Game 5 — 11 a.m. today
vs.
Game 5 11:30 a.m. Thursday Game 1 winner
vs.
vs.
Game 6 — 1:30 today
Game 6 — 2 p.m. Thursday Game 2 winner
vs.
vs.
Game 7 — 5 today
Game 7 — 6 p.m. Thursday Game 3 winner
vs. s.
vs. vs
Game 8 — 7:30 tonight
Game 8 — 8:30 p.m. Thursday Game 4 winner
vs.
vs.
Game 9 — noon Friday MERRILL JONES/THE DAILY
Game 5 winner
vs.
Senior guard Danielle Robinson (left) drives against Baylor center Brittney Griner (42) in OU’s 82-81 loss to the Lady Bears on Feb. 27 in Norman. The Sooners play Texas Tech tonight.
If you watch WHAT: OU vs. Texas Tech WHEN: 7:30 tonight WHERE: Kansas City Municipal Auditorium TV: Fox Sports Southwest Web: Big12sports.com said it still surprises her. “I had no idea I would be starting at all, being a freshman and all,” Griffin said. “When I was younger, I didn’t even think I would be
at a Division 1 college playing basketball.” This is Griffin’s first shot at the conference tournament, and she said there are a few jitters. “I’m a little bit nervous but excited at the same time,” Griffin said. “I think it’s going to be really fun.” Griffin now averages almost five points a game for OU, but her consistency in the post is what she said will help her team most during this four-day stretch. “I need to keep up what I’m doing already,” Griffin said. “I think I’ve been pretty consistent through when I’ve been starting, so I think I just need to keep doing
MEN’S BASKETBALL
State unlikely to have team in NCAA tourney Oklahoma City — When the NCAA tournament bracket comes out on Selection Sunday, there’s a strong likelihood no Oklahoma team will be in the 68-team field. As it stands now, none of the state’s four Division I teams — Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa and Oral Roberts — figure to make the Big Dance without a surprising run in their conference tournaments. It would be the first time that’s happened since 1981 in a state that loves basketball, though not as much as football. And perhaps bad timing for Tulsa, which will be hosting early round NCAA games for the first time since 1985. Oklahoma isn’t alone. Among the other states that could be under-represented in the field are Iowa, Illinois, Mississippi and Oregon, but none of these states have been represented in the tournament as consistently as Oklahoma. The Sooners have made it to the tournament 22 times in the past 28 years, Oklahoma State has been there 16 times and
there’s been only one year when neither made the field. Oral Roberts kept the streak going in 2007 with one of its three consecutive NCAA berths. All four teams have hit roadblocks this season, most notably OU. Oklahoma had a mass exodus after losing nine straight games to finish last season. Five underclassmen left, none of them as NBA first-round picks, and coach Jeff Capel had just four remaining scholarship players before bringing in a batch of newcomers. The Sooners are 11th in the Big 12 after losing eight straight games and were in jeopardy of tying the program’s worst losing streak (10, 1964) before a 64-61 Bedlam win. “For our young guys, this is making them better basketball players. This is helping me become a better coach,” Capel said. “I don’t like losing, our guys don’t like losing, but this is helping us.” Any of the four teams could still keep the streak going by winning their respective conference tournament. Even though ORU won its last few games, the chances are slim Oklahoma will be represented. — AP
that. And more importantly, I need to make my free throws.” Griffin is shooting 61.8 percent from the free-throw line this season, the lowest of all five Sooner starters — although it is hard when three of your starting five shoot near or above 80 percent from the free-throw line. Griffin and Robinson said the tournament is a chance to wipe the slate clean — no more missed free throws, careless turnovers or closecall losses. They just go out and play. “You never know what’s going to happen,” Robinson said.
Game 6 winner
Game 5 winner
Game 6 winner
vs.
Game 10 — 2:30 p.m. Friday Game 7 winner
Game 9 — 6 p.m. Friday
Game 8 winner
vs.
Game 10 — 8:30 p.m. Friday Game 7 winner
Game 8 winner
vs.
Big 12 Championship Game 11 a.m. Saturday
Big 12 Championship Game 5 p.m. Saturday
Game 9 winner
Game 9 winner
vs. Game 10 winner
vs. Game 10 winner