Comparing Lon Kruger’s Sooners to Blake Griffin’s Final College Season

No one would argue Sooner Basketball is back. It had been down for a few seasons, but the hire of Lon Kruger is undoubtedly one of the biggest moves Joe Castiglione has made as Oklahoma’s athletic director.

The 2013-14 Oklahoma Sooner team is not perfect—heck, take a look at last night. There isn’t a guy projected to go top five in this year’s NBA Draft. Though, the Sooners probably like it better this way.

Oklahoma has not reached a Final Four since the 2001-2002 season. They haven’t won 30 games since the 2008-2009 Sooners did so with NBA All-Star Blake Griffin.

This year’s squad could reach 30 wins. It would be tough, but they are 17-6 at the moment, but with the conference tournament and NCAA tournament, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for the Sooners to get there.

Oklahoma’s 30 win team in the 2008-09 season was the second Oklahoma squad to reach that mark in seven years. They were, also, only the fifth team in program history to reach that win total.

The previous three OU basketball coaches are the only ones in school history who boast the accomplishment of a 30 win season, but Lon Kruger isn’t looking for win totals. He’s looking for championships.

Oklahoma has seen some greats. Billy Tubbs and Kelvin Sampson. Jeff Capel brought in some great talent.

But how does this year’s squad compare to Capel’s team that reached the Elite Eight before falling to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Elite Eight?

The coaching advantage has to go to Kruger. He’s doing more with “less,” though, I think it’d be insulting to not say this one of the most talented teams Norman has seen.

Ryan Spangler is reminiscent of a Kevin Bookout or a Longar Longar. He’s undersized by professional standards, but at the college level, not too many have an upper hand in the paint with Spangler down low.

In comparison to the 2008-09 team, Oklahoma right now ranks 38th in the country in rebounding. With Blake and Taylor Griffin in Norman? The Sooners ranked tenth in the nation.

Oklahoma still has some time to improve that number this year, but regardless, the rebounding efforts of Spangler, as well as Cameron Clark, have been superb.

Down low you would love to see a player of Blake Griffin’s caliber, but Spangler and Clark have nicely filled the shoes of ex-OU big men Romero Osby and Amath M’Baye.

While Osby and M’Baye were solid post players for the Sooners, Spangler and Clark have really surpassed expectations and helped an Oklahoma squad that really ran through Osby a season ago.

Now they have more options to rely upon in not only their front court, but back court.

Looking back at the 2008-09 squad, who could forget Austin Johnson? He was an athletic point guard with plenty to offer on both ends of the court. As OU’s floor general, Johnson was quick to hand it off, pick your pocket, or score himself. He truly was an underrated talent.

Feb 1, 2014; Ames, IA, USA; Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield (24) drives by Iowa State Cyclones guard Matt Thomas (21) in the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State beat Oklahoma 81-75. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Fast forward to this season, Jordan Woodard has the potential to be something special like Johnson. A year ago, Woodard was walking the halls of Edmond Memorial High School in the heart of the Sooner State. Now he’s starting at point for an Oklahoma sitting near the top of the Big 12 conference.

Woodard’s had some quiet nights, but has been getting help as of recent by OU reserve Je’lon Hornbeak, who missed part of the season due to injury.

Woodard’s averaging double figures in scoring as a true freshman and very close to averaging five assists per contest.

He is doing some really good work, and while he isn’t on the level of Austin Johnson yet, expect him to get there with the time he has remaining in Norman.

Two other guys who could enjoy a few more years at OU are Isaiah Cousins and Buddy Hield. These super sophomores are big time scorers that complete Oklahoma’s starting five, all of which are averaging double figures in scoring.

Cousins, at just 6-4, has been put in a bigger role. He can crash the boards for a guard and his shooting isn’t half bad either.

The other wing for the Sooners is Buddy Hield. Hield leads the team in scoring, and has been playing extremely well lately.

Everyone really stepped up their game when conference play started in January, and with a lot of flare and a lot of talent, can this team go as far as the 2008-09 Sooners?

Well looking back, Oklahoma had another key freshman as part of their Elite Eight run. Willie Warren was a frosh on that 2009 squad, only coming second to Blake Griffin in scoring average.

Oklahoma had a little more height that season, but this squad plays just as big.

A lot of teams are undersized, and while Oklahoma is one of them, it could be a lot worse. Just take a look at Stillwater.

Oklahoma still manages to put up points, and potentially could do better in that category than Capel’s squad.

Defense obviously has to be something OU will want to emphasize more down the stretch, and you can only imagine it will get better with more than likely four starters returning next year. However, OU has a shot to be a bracket buster.

The expectations have been surpassed so far, and Oklahoma could be vying for a four or five seed.

The 2008-09 squad was a two seed, but Oklahoma was still a respectable basketball program. Kruger has had the tall order of making OU basketball relevant again. They are slowly, but surely, gaining the respect they lost over the past few years.

Right now, it would be tough to argue this team is “better” than the 2008-2009 squad. It’s, also, hard to compare the two with a new look Big 12.

The conference has been extremely competitive this season, and no one is really dominating—opening the door even more for Oklahoma.

As a team, this is one of the best groups Oklahoma has ever seen. There’s not one guy outshining the rest; they’re playing as a unit.

If I had to make a bet, don’t count on this team to hoist the NCAA Tournament trophy at the end of the Big Dance. Getting to the Sweet Sixteen would be a good feat, but next year could be something even more special with a lot of talent returing.

This is still a young Oklahoma squad, and these players will only get better with time.