blogombal Chapter 16 Preseason Matchup: USC vs. Oklahoma Winners
Chapter 16 Preseason Matchup: USC vs. Oklahoma Winners
On November 8, the University of Southern California will play the University of Oklahoma City Bruins in a conference game on the road.
The University of Oklahoma's Jetpackers are a well-established and traditionally strong basketball team in the region. They have been a regular in the national championships since 1983. In 1988, they reached the national finals but lost to Larry Brown's Jehawks of Kansas. In the 2001-2002 season, under coach Kelvin Sampson, they reached the national semifinals but were defeated by Mike Davis's Hussels of Indiana. In the 2002-2003 season, they reached the Elite Eight. However, their performance subsequently declined.
The addition of Blake Griffin, who was a high school student the previous year, helped them return to the national championships after a year's absence.
Their head coach, Jeff Capel, joined the University of Oklahoma Quick-Footers in 2006. He was a young coach, just over 30 years old. In his second year coaching the team, he led them to the national championships, but they were eliminated in the second round.
This year, they have retained most of their roster from last season, with the goal of making a comeback.
This game was USC's eighth preseason game, and the Oklahoma City Catch-Up was their toughest preseason opponent.
In the first two games, Coach Tim promoted Lian Dao to the starting lineup, and the results were impressive. In the two games, Lian Dao averaged 25 minutes of playing time, scoring 19 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers, with a field goal percentage of 49%, a three-point percentage of 52%, and a free throw percentage of 70%.
Since the start of the preseason, the University of Southern California has won seven straight games, their best start in recent years.
After these seven games, Liando rose to fame in California. Fans affectionately called him "Mr. Clutch" and "Three-Point Killer." Since appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated's basketball edition, his fame has quickly spread throughout the country. Scouts and media from many professional leagues have set their sights on him.
The University of Oklahoma's basketball team's home arena has a capacity of approximately 18000. Today, the arena was packed. Lian Dao noticed a small group of fans in the stands holding banners in support of him. He was also surprised to see several female fans wearing his number 1 jersey.
"I never imagined I'd get this much attention in the preseason," Lian Dao remarked. His original goal was to make a name for himself at the national championships, not in the preseason, and he certainly didn't expect to have so many supporters in an away game.
As Lian Dao walked onto the field, he waved to his supporters in the stands. Several female fans screamed excitedly, holding up banners and cheering him on.
This temporarily calmed the angry stares of the nearby University of Oklahoma fans. When they realized it was a group of pretty girls, they turned back, looking at the runway with mixed feelings. They continued chanting their home team's slogan, hoping to boost their team's morale and diminish the runway's influence.
"Blake will blow that guy in the number 1 jersey out of the house," said a University of Oklahoma fan who turned and walked away.
The University of Oklahoma's starting lineup consists of: point guard Willie Warren (193 cm), shooting guard Austin Jensen (190 cm), small forward Tony Crocker (198 cm), power forward Tyler Griffin (201 cm), and center Blake Griffin (208 cm). This unusual height distribution—the point guard being taller than the shooting guard—reflects Oklahoma's tactical choices. Both Warren and Jensen are combo guards, adept at both playmaking and scoring, with Warren being particularly outstanding at passing.
The University of Oklahoma lacked a traditional, efficient scoring center, so they relied on Blake Griffin's versatility at the center position. Despite his lack of height, Griffin distinguished himself with his exceptional speed and agility, as well as his strong low-post scoring ability. However, his relatively short wingspan made him vulnerable to being blocked when turning to shoot. Griffin's ball-handling skills were also outstanding, a rarity among college centers.
The University of Southern California's starting lineup is as follows: point guard Daniel Hackett, shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, small forward Linda Lian, power forward Ty Gibson, and center Keith Wilkinson. USC's lineup remains largely unchanged, with Hackett demonstrating second only to Lian in playmaking ability. This configuration allows USC to field two strong playmakers simultaneously, enhancing the flexibility of their perimeter offense.
Compared to the University of Oklahoma, the University of Southern California's frontcourt players have an advantage in height and overall strength. However, the University of Oklahoma's frontcourt players have demonstrated greater agility, which will pose a challenge to USC's defense in the upcoming game.
Coach Tim glanced around the bench, a hint of concern in his eyes. He noticed Vucevic's potential, but unfortunately, Vucevic was still ineligible to play due to some eligibility issues. Vucevic had significantly improved his strength and technique during the summer training with Liandao, and once eligible, he would undoubtedly make a significant contribution to the team.
Today's game attracted a large number of scouts and media reporters because of the presence of five potential draft picks: Blake Griffin and Tyler Griffin from the University of Oklahoma, DeMar DeRozan, Ty Gibson, and rising star Lian Dao from the University of Southern California.
Although it was just a preseason game, both teams were quite strong, providing scouts with a real opportunity to assess player abilities.
"This game won't be easy; they might go all out," Lian Dao muttered as he watched Griffin warm up.
Lian Dao is confident in his ability to suppress opposing perimeter players, but he is worried about the team's interior defense.
The game began with Wilkinson and Griffin jumping for the ball. Using his height and wingspan advantage, Wilkinson tipped the ball to point guard Daniel. Daniel, finding Lian Dao open, passed the ball to him.
Without hesitation, Lian Dao dribbled a few steps and then shot the ball, which flew into the basket in a beautiful arc.
"Whoosh!"
The opposing small forward, Tony Krock, was caught off guard by Lian Dao's bold opening shot.
Even with Kroc's timely reaction, Lian Dao was determined to take the three-pointer. USC needs to establish an early advantage on the perimeter to alleviate pressure on the inside. Otherwise, the game could become extremely difficult.
The opening three-pointer clearly indicated Liandao's offensive intentions.
As expected, USC struggled to contain Griffin's inside offense. Like a raging beast, Griffin easily broke through USC's defense, leaping with astonishing power to dunk over Wilkinson as he attempted a block. The dunk was so powerful that the rim shook, and Wilkinson was thrown back several meters before landing.
"Beep!"
Despite Wilkinson's attempt to block, Griffin still managed to score and draw a foul, earning a free throw opportunity.
The score became 2+1. Wilkinson's defense was watertight, but he still couldn't stop Griffin's unstoppable offense.