Head coach Jeff Capel said Wednesday unranked USC may be the best team the Sooners have faced all year.

The Trojans’ performance Thursday backed that up as they gave the No. 6 Sooners all they could handle, making them work for a 73–72 win.

Sophomore forward Blake Griffin scored 25 points for OU (7-0) and junior guard Dwight Lewis led USC (5-3) with 25 as USC shot 50 percent from the field in the loss.

“We feel fortunate to get this win,” Capel said. “I thought USC was terrific. It’s very rare that you beat a team that shoots 50 percent from the floor … We found a way down the stretch to pull out a win so we’re pleased with the win, not necessarily pleased with how we played.”

The Trojans began the game with a 10-0 run while using three defenders on Griffin and throwing OU out of its offensive rhythm. However, the Sooner guards soon made USC pay by knocking down open shots.

Senior guard Austin Johnson scored 11 points in the first five minutes of the game, and USC’s defense began to back off Griffin.

Griffin said Johnson’s early success was the key that allowed the Sooners’ to get into a first-half groove.

“We actually have been practicing that all week,” Griffin said. “That’s what they did last year … and A.J. did a great job of stepping up and hitting shots … For him to do that, it made them realize they can’t do that anymore and it kind of opened up the game for everybody else.”

Johnson finished the game with 17 points. Even after the Trojans changed their defense, however, the Sooners continued to shoot a high percentage en route to 42 first-half points.

At the half, USC led the Sooners in rebounds and assists, but OU had just one turnover and shot 54 percent from the field, helping the Sooners to a seven-point lead. However, Griffin had just one first-half rebound, and finished the game with six. He had been averaging nearly 20 per game.

Capel said that because OU expected USC to focus on Griffin and leave other players open, it may have affected Griffin’s rebounding.

“I think he came in with a different mindset today,” Capel said. “I think that’s why he wasn’t as aggressive as he normally is especially in rebounding the ball.”

The Sooners came out slow in the second half, essentially exchanging buckets and turnovers with the Trojans for the majority of the period.

Both teams played aggressively in the second half, and the Trojans were charged with two technical fouls, both committed against Griffin.

Griffin said after the game that the Trojans were the most physical team OU has faced.

“Purdue did a pretty good job physically but I think USC had a little bit more down low, a [few] more bodies, a little more strength,” Blake said “They hit the boards hard and they did a good job. It showed.”

Despite the technical fouls, OU was unable to make the Trojans pay at the line and USC was able to claw back into the game, getting to within one point at multiple times in the second half.

However, the Sooners never let USC take the lead. The Trojans were within one point when forward Keith Wilkinson fouled senior forward Taylor Griffin — who finished with ten points and nine rebounds — with 40 seconds remaining. He made both free throws, giving OU a 73–70 lead.

A Sooner turnover gave USC one last chance with eight seconds left, but Johnson fouled guard Daniel Hackett before he could get a shot attempt. Hackett hit both free throws with 3.4 seconds on the clock, drawing the game to within a point again.

Sophomore Cade Davis — who had missed only one free throw in his career before the game — then missed two free throws to keep the Trojans within one.

A USC desperation heave at the buzzer fell short and allowed the Sooners to escape with the win.

“I’m happy to win but my thing with our team is that we have to get better,” Capel said. “That’s the question I’m always asking, ‘Are we getting better?’ I thought USC was terrific tonight and I thought we did some good things … but again there’s a long way for us to go.”