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STF Preseason Extravaganza - #23 Your Breakthrough Teams: Purdue and Oklahoma

CHN » Oklahoma Sooners
October 6th, 2008 by CHN
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Welcomes to STF's 2008-2009 Preseason Extravaganza, where we'll tackle 23 predictions for the upcoming season, which will all become null and void by about Thanksgiving. First up, STF's breakthrough teams for 2009.Why STF Thinks Purdue is Going to Breakthrough in 2009-- Because we love us some three and four guard sets. Remember how much fun it was to watch Big East defenders dashing around the court trying to catch up to Villanova's four guards back in 2006? Well, expect to see more of the same from Big Ten defenders trying to track down the Boilermakers' E'Twaun Moore, Robbie Hummel (the team's best perimeter players despite being 6'8), Chris Kramer and Keaton Grant. And with a another year of growth and maturity after the Baby Boilers shocked the world last season, expect to see even more on the offensive this upcoming season. (Oh yeah, pretend that this entire preview never even took place if Hummel somehow contracts freakin' salmonella again.)- Because the Boilermakers defense is so stingy, this is the first time I've been able to publish this post about the Boilers with having Chris Kramer stealing it. While we were just raving about the Boilermakers having one of the nation's best perimeter offenses in the nation, they without a doubt have the best perimeter defense in the nation. Lead by Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year Kramer, expect to see plenty of low shooting percentages and point totals in 40s for Big Ten opponents that enter Mackey Arena this season. Hell, point totals in 20s and 30s are a possibility if we are talking Indiana or Northwestern.- Because we believe in Matt Painter. Entering his fourth season as Purdue coach, the former SIU coach has done wonders at West Lafayette, turning around a perennially mediocre program by improving each season (9, 22, 25). And we trust that he’ll be able to keep this still very young team grounded despite such high expectations."We didn't achieve any of our goals," Painter said. "We still didn't win the Big Ten, we still didn't advance any further than we did the year before at the NCAA tournament. Hopefully, that can drive us." Why STF Thinks Oklahoma is Going to Breakthrough in 2009- Because outside of Chapel Hill and the Big East, OU's Blake Griffin is the most talented college basketball player in America (And possibly the early bet to be the 2009 #1 NBA Draft pick). Somewhat overlooked in by Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley in last season's freshman lovefest, Griffin quietly posted 14.0 ppg and 9 rpg for the Sooners, all while playing close to half the season on not one but two bum knees. With his knees supposedly healthy, look for Blake to easily average a double-double and absolutely dominate the Big 12.- Because Blake Griffin is not only Griffin in the OU front we like. He is joined by brother Taylor Griffin, a 6'7 bruiser who, while not nearly the offensive threat of his brother, can still hit the boards and is expected to expand his offensive game this season. But let's be honest here, with the departure of Brook and Robin Lopez, we just want a new a set of brother to crack jokes about.- Because freshman guard Willie Warren is just kind of dynamic playmaker in the backcourt that the Sooners needed to breakthrough into the nation's elite. The 6'4 combo guard was leading scoring in last season's McDonald's All-American game and is the perfect outside compliment to Blake Griffins dominate inside game. If he's at least half the player that he's expected to be, OU's inside-outside offensive attack will be nearly impossible to stop.

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