South • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Syracuse

Published March 26, 2009 4:00am ET



South • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Syracuse, Friday, 7:27 p.m., CBS

OKLAHOMA       SYRACUSE
The Krzyzewski coaching tree has yielded some bad fruit. Questions remain about Jeff Capel, 34.   Coaching X At age 64, Jim Boeheim has 30 years and one national championship on Capel.
Freshman Willie Warren will be the best guard on floor, but his mates are a liability.   Guards X PG Jonny Flynn delivers to reliable wings and is in sync with prep teammate Paul Harris.
Blake Griffin is the best player in tournament. Brother Taylor is an excellent complement. X Forwards   The Orange will try to combat Griffin with a 2-3 zone and powerful Arinze Onuaku (6-9, 260).
Lack of depth was illustrated when Blake missed games with a concussion.   Bench X Neither team has much depth, but Andy Rautins (10.3 ppg) gives the ‘Cuse some flexibility.
OU starts two seniors, but nobody on this team has been in a Sweet 16. Neither has much edge. X Experience   This is Syracuse’s first appearance in the tournament since 2006, but hasn’t show so far.
Much depends on the referees. If Blake gets in foul trouble, the Sooners are in deep trouble.   X-Factor X Eric Devendorf is a huge fan of Eric Devendorf. But this time of year, isn’t that what you want?
OU runs hot-and-cold. The Sooners can look unbeatable when their 3-pointers are dropping.   Overall X Cuse is battle tested, has a physical inside duo to deal with Blake, and a coach who’s been there.
Other Sweet 16 games
» South • Sweet 16 » No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Gonzaga
» Midwest • Sweet 16 » No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 12 Arizona
» Midwest • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 3 Kansas