by Jeff Goodman

Updated: December 7, 2008, 5:01 PM EST 8 comments

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Even Jeff Capel, who had never stepped foot in the state prior to the news conference in which he was introduced as the head coach at Oklahoma three years ago, realized it soon after taking the job.

But Blake Griffin may change that. In fact, he already has.

"Kids know he's going to be a very high draft pick next year and ... look at how he's developed from Year 1 to Year 2," Capel said. "He helped us get Willie Warren and also helped us sign Keith 'Tiny' Gallon and Tommy Mason-Griffin."

Even Blake and his older brother, Taylor, admitted that they grew up rooting for in-state rival Oklahoma State. Recent in-state stars Daniel Orton and Xavier Henry opted to leave for Kentucky and Memphis, respectively.

But now the Griffin Brothers — and specifically Blake — are trying to change the culture in Norman.

"That's what Coach Capel told us when he was recruiting us," Blake said. "I think it's slowly changing."

"I think we've made headway in the state of Texas," said Capel, who has hauled in Warren, Gallon and Mason-Griffin from the Lone Star State. "But we're hoping the success of Blake will help us in Oklahoma."

Football is king on OU's campus. It will always be king.

But Thursday night in Norman — when a sellout of nearly 12,000 fans and more than 25 NBA scouts came to watch Oklahoma hang on for a 73-72 win against USC, it registered across the country.

The game was on national television.

Blake Griffin and the Sooners didn't play particularly well, but still found a way to get past another legitimate NCAA tournament team.

That's four notches so far for Jeff Capel's club: Purdue, Davidson, UAB and now USC. It wouldn't be shocking if all four were in the Big Dance come March.

In just his third season in Norman, Capel has the Sooners ranked sixth in the nation. That's just two spots behind his former school, the mighty Duke Blue Devils.

I wasn't sure whether Capel would have the program relevant at this point — especially when he passed on hiring any in-state coaches for his staff when he came to Norman from VCU.

But more important than getting any coach was being able to land Griffin.

"Everyone knows us — and everyone knows who I am because of Blake," Capel said. "Like I said about Kevin Durant a couple years ago, Blake is must-see TV."

Griffin was far from his dominant self Thursday night, yet he still managed to finish with 25 points and six rebounds.

"He's a monster," said former Sooners star Wayman Tisdale, who received the loudest ovation of the game when he walked in with a cane at halftime. "They can talk all they want about Tyler (Hansbrough), but this guy's the truth."

In the first five minutes of the game, he was the invisible truth. Griffin barely had his fingers on the ball. In fact, the first time he may have touched it excluding the opening tip was 4:47 into the game when he grabbed a rebound.

Griffin doesn't always know what type of defense he'll see these days, but it's almost certain to include plenty of double and even triple-teams. This time USC coach Tim Floyd basically opted not to guard Austin Johnson, instead keeping guard Daniel Hackett down in the paint near Griffin.

Capel knows what Griffin is capable of — and he wound up getting plenty of touches (although still not enough) the rest of the game, but it was the oft-questioned Johnson who stepped up to knock down a trio of 3-pointers and add another basket on a drive — all in the first five minutes.

Oklahoma took a 42-35 halftime lead, but was unable to pull away from the Trojans. The Griffin brothers each needed to knock down a pair of free throws in the final two minutes to stave off a late USC rally.

The Big 12 football championship game is just around the corner, but Sooners hoops was the focus on Thursday — thanks to Blake Griffin.