March 23, 2008
Louisville's pressure to test Griffin, Oklahoma
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (Ticker) - Louisville's depth and full-court pressure were on display in the first round. Expect the Cardinals to do more of the same in the second.
The third-seeded Cardinals take on sixth-seeded Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional on Sunday.
Louisville (25-8) blew past Boise State, 79-61, in the first round Friday, shooting 56 percent (29-of-52) from the floor, including 12-of-24 from the arc.
Earl Clark had 15 of the 30 bench points for Louisville, which also forced 18 turnovers.
The Sooners (23-11) held on for a 72-64 victory over Saint Joseph's on Friday. Oklahoma led by as many as 19 in the second half.
Senior David Godbold scored a career-high 25 points and Longar Longar added 14 points.
Leading scorer freshman Blake Griffin had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for Oklahoma, which shot 57 percent (24-of-42) from the floor and committed just nine turnovers.
Oklahoma has not won multiple tournament games since reaching the regional finals in 2003, while Louisville is looking to advance to the "Sweet 16" for the first time since making the Final Four in 2005.
The winner will face either Tennessee or Butler next Thursday.
Check out our NCAAB odds and matchup reports.
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