OU basketball notebook

Published: January 15, 2008

LAWRENCE, Kan, — Oklahoma freshman Blake Griffin left less than five minutes into the game with a left knee injury and did not return Monday night in the Sooners' 85-55 loss to Kansas.

OU's star forward said doctors believe he suffered a sprained MCL. An MRI will be performed today, at which time the team will have a better idea on the timetable for his return.

Griffin jumped for a rebound with 15:04 left in the first half and the Sooners trailing 11-2. He landed awkwardly and his left knee buckled inward.

Last week, the Sooners lost reserve forward Keith Clark because of academic issues, leaving Jeff Capel's frontcourt depleted.

After Griffin's injury, Capel used walk-on and Winfield, Kan., native Beau Gerber as a substitute to rest his only two available forwards, Longar Longar and Taylor Griffin.

Obviously dejected by both the injury and the loss, Blake Griffin tried to remain positive in lieu of his uncertain immediate future.

"We have a lot of guys that are capable of playing well and capable of helping this team,” he said. "This could help us in the long run. We have to look at it as a positive and not worry about it.”

On the other side, Kansas saw Griffin's departure as an immediate benefit.

"We knew that was one of their best offensive players,” Kansas guard Mario Chalmers said. "We knew we could attack the paint and get to the basket easier.”

•Knight time: Oklahoma (12-5) is off until Saturday, when it hosts Texas Tech at 3 p.m.

It is possible that Tech coach Bob Knight could still be looking for milestone victory No. 900. Knight's Red Raiders play host to No. 10 Texas A&M Wednesday.

•By the numbers: OU has lost nine straight games in Allen Fieldhouse, dating back to the 1994 season. The 30-point margin of victory matches the third-largest KU win over the Sooners.

•No vacation: Next up for Kansas is a Saturday night visit to arch rival Missouri, which is fresh off a 97-84 victory against Texas last weekend.

"I really enjoy going to Columbia,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We're not going to vacation there this summer, but I really enjoy the atmosphere of going there. It's been great every time we've gone there.”

By Scott Wright and John Rohde

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