NBA Draft Watch - Griffin / Hansbrough Collision Imminent


It’s a rarity in the tournament to get a player matchup of this caliber. Now that both teams have disposed of the opposition in the way, Griffin and Hansbrough can get on with one of the most anticipated head to head match ups ever. For the Tar Heels, they easily disposed of the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday. The Sooners looked equally impressive against the Syracuse Orange as they won easily by 13.

Besides the fact that the game is going to be a great match up between two surging teams, the thought of the best college player taking on the future first overall draft pick should have sports betting fans drooling. So let’s break it down by the numbers, the intangibles and the nonsense. Before you press on, you have to understand that I like Tyler Hansbrough, and while I don’t think he’ll be one of the best powerforwards of all time, he’ll certainly be effective in the NBA. Bite your tongue before you launch your disapproval, fearless reader.

(Click here for your printable March Madness bracket)

Nobody, and I mean nobody, can find a flaw in Griffin’s game. He’s one of the nation’s best defensive players, an absolute vulture on the boards and is an unrivaled athlete in the nation. I’m not knocking his title as the best man in the draft. That’s a closed conversation. What I am questioning is this: Is he good enough to get the Sooners past the Tar Heels?

NCAA Basketball Betting Trends For Oklahoma

Sooners have pushed the UNDER in 4 of their last 6 games
Oklahoma is 174 SU in their last 21 games
Oklahoma is 23 ATS in their last 5 games
Oklahoma is 84 ATS when playing on the road


This is a player whose team lost to Oklahoma State in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament, after finishing as the Big 12 Player of the Year. This is also a player who proved absolutely crucial to his team’s success when he bowed out to injury in the middle of the year.

No offense, but you can be the best player in the universe, but if it doesn’t translate in to success at the end of the Final Four, then your college career is no better than anyone else who didn’t win a Championship. That’s not to say that Griffin won’t be a star in the NBA. But Joakim Noah and Mario Chalmers are role player sin the NBA, but they can look back at their college careers when they were King for a day. As much as Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant are enjoying their superstar status, I’ll always knock them for not pushing Memphis and Texas over the edge in to Championship glory.

Griffin’s legacy is far from over. He has a legend to carve in the NBA, but an impressive college resume is a saving grace for many guys in the NBA, including Joakim Noah and Carmelo Anthony. Winning an NCAA title while taking down the ACC’s leading scorer will be a massive triumph in itself. It would cement Griffin’s college career as he ascends to the NBA.

The question remaining is: Can he get past Hansbrough?


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