BROOKE McNEELY Northwest Arkansas Times Oklahoma sophomore Blake Griffin (23) guards Arkansas junior Michael Washington (00) Tuesday during a game at Bud Walton Arena.

Fresh from a jubilant locker room after upsetting No. 4 Oklahoma, 96-88, Arkansas coach John Pelphrey calmly approached the media in the adjacent interview room.

He spouted several names of key players, including the six who finished with double-digit points. And then he reached the one name some may have never expected would be called upon in the pre-season.

"Marcus Monk, my goodness," Pelphrey said.

Pelphrey then paused 4 seconds as he attempted to collect his thoughts.

"There's just no words that can describe what we saw tonight," Pelphrey said. "That's one of the best performances I've ever seen."

ADVERTISEMENT

With the Razorbacks constantly putting pressure on defending Oklahoma's power forward Blake Griffin, the fouls piled up for Arkansas. Michael Washington and Michael Sanchez each had taps that proved costly. Both finished with four apiece and Washington, somehow, still managed 24 points and 11 rebounds - yet another double-double for the junior who also scored one last year against the Sooners.

"You never want to take those for granted," Pelphrey said. "But we're kind of doing that."

But Monk, who joined the Razorbacks Dec. 18 after being cut by two NFL teams in the summer, proved to be a spark for an Arkansas team that struggled at times to stay out of foul trouble. He came off the bench, scored 12 points and nabbed 6 rebounds in 20 minutes of action. All were career-highs for Monk, who played for Arkansas in 2004-05 as a freshman before he concentrated on his budding football career at wide receiver for then-coach Houston Nutt.

"Yeah, I know, he probably didn't get 20 to 25 points and I don't know how many rebounds he had but, boy, he got in there and competed," Pelphrey said. "That jersey means something to him."

The night didn't start out too well for Monk, though. His first two shot attempts were blocked. One by OU's star, Griffin, the other by the Sooners' older brother, Taylor Griffin.

"I've been playing ball for a while," Monk smiled. "Getting your shot blocked is not a big deal."

On the third block attempt, Monk drew a foul. He hit both free throws to extend Arkansas' lead to 48-31. Then he hit four more to finish a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.

As for the rest of Arkansas' frontcourt, it looked more active and less passive than how Blake Griffin's night started, OU coach Jeff Capel said.

Griffin looked for double teams that never happened, and pitched the ball out to the perimeter. Too many 3-point shots were attempted, Capel contended.

"For whatever reasons, he wasn't aggressive to start," the OU coach said.

Meanwhile, Washington helped Arkansas dominate the paint to start the game. The 20-2 scoring advantage in the paint and Griffin's 0-for-4 start led to a 37-17 Arkansas lead.

The Sooners' sophomore, who many project to perhaps be the No. 1 pick in NBA draft, didn't hit his first shot until the clock read 5:47 in the first half. Washington had 17 points and 8 rebounds by halftime. Griffin, however, still managed 21 points and 13 rebounds.

But it was Washington that came up strong with fouls piling up. During one stretch as OU cut the Razorbacks' advantage to 83-79 in the second half, Washington answered with seven straight points for the Razorbacks. His highlight came after Fortson's 10th and final assist with 1:33 remaining that put the Hogs up - for good - at 88-81 with 1:33 remaining. During that stretch, Washington had four fouls.

"I've been harping about Mike," said Fortson, who finished with a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. "He's a great big man. I think he's one of the best big men in the country... He just went against the best big man in the country and held his own.