Griffin Debuts on the Dance Floor - (2) Oklahoma vs. (15) Morgan St

BetUS NCAA Basketball Betting Odds: OKLAHOMA -16.5, Total 135.5

Here are some of the NCAA basketball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* MORG has won 13 of its last 14 games SU

* OKLA has covered one of its last six games

* OKLA has won 20 of its last 25 games SU

* OKLA has lost four of its last six games SU

* OKLA has played four of its last six games UNDER the total

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It must be something of a triumph for Todd Bozeman to be in this NCAA Tournament, and it provides one of the great stories in the Big Dance. Bozeman has been to the Sweet 16 before; in fact, he was the youngest coach ever to get there (29). That was when he was at the helm of the Cal Bears of Berkeley, some claim was the by-product of a sabotage of the university's previous coach, Lou Campanelli. Bozeman made three appearances in the NCAA tourney before the roof caved in, the result of his admission of recruiting violations, and a sexual harassment complaint that happened almost simultaneously. He was essentially banned from college ball for eight years before resurfacing at Morgan State.

His team got to the NIT last year by virtue of its regular season title in the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) and this year it won the post-season tourney as well. Morgan State sometimes has problems getting points on the board (37, for example, against Oklahoma dysfunction back there, which may or may not be the result of a personal riff between Austin Johnson and freshman Willie Warren.

No one is going to stop Blake Griffin, who is averaging 22 points and 14 rebounds, but Morgan State is not as handicapped as most teams Oklahoma faces from the standpoint of size, as Kevin Thompson (6'8", 240 lbs.) and Rodney Stokes (6'10", 225 lbs.) bring plenty of beef to the table to get physical, and Marquise Kately, at 6'5" and 220, is aggressive on the glass. Shooting is not this team's strong suit, though, so trading points is going to be a problem if Morgan State doesn't pull a lot of stops.

The Bears had mixed results against superior opposition, scoring a 66-65 win over Maryland on January 7. We're not sure we want to guess when Oklahoma is going to get its edge back; the Sooners have lost four of their last six games and appear to be a little "top heavy" right now. Griffin can't do everything himself, and you had better believe Bozeman doesn't want his comeback story to last just one night. His team goes down swinging. In a small recommendation, we're going to take points with Morgan State, the 16.5-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA Tournament sports betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: MORGAN STATE +16.5 *

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)