KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After launching himself over Michigan's Zack Novak for a monstrous one-handed dunk, Blake Griffin stood there, flexing his muscles – and so did the Sooners on Saturday.

Griffin finished with 33 points and 17 rebounds as second-seeded Oklahoma defeated No. 10 Michigan, 73-63, in the second round of the South Region at the Sprint Center.

OU (29-5), reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003, will play today's Syracuse-Arizona State winner.

With 9:23 left in the game, Oklahoma guard Tony Crocker stole a pass and found Griffin streaking to the basket. Griffin soared over the 6-5 Novak for the dunk, giving the Sooners momentum and a 58-45 lead.

"It felt good, really good," said Griffin. "I think I took a lot of frustration out on that one. It was a big momentum changer for us. I think it showed how well we played defense, too, with Tony getting the steal to set it up."

A 10-0 run by Michigan cut its deficit to four. But Griffin, playing with a sore back after being flipped over by Morgan State's Ameer Ali in the first round, scored Oklahoma's next six points. Senior guard Austin Johnson then drilled a deep 3-pointer to seal the game.

Michigan (21-14) never found an answer for Griffin. The Wolverines tried a variety of zones and double teams and had to battle through foul trouble. Sophomore guard Manny Harris picked up two early fouls and played only five minutes in the first half. Three minutes into the second half, forward DeShawn Sims picked up his third foul.

AP

Oklahoma's Taylor Griffin defends a shot from Michigan's Manny Harris.

View largerMore photos Photo store

"We tried everything we could to stop Blake, but we couldn't stop him, obviously," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "Oklahoma is terrific. When you have guards that can shoot like that, it's tough to defend all those things."

Leading 30-29 at the half, Oklahoma found its rhythm in the second half with Griffin dominating down low and guards Willie Warren (16 points) and Johnson (12 points) making outside shots.

"We knew the guards had to make shots to open up the zone," Warren said. "It was easy for us to get to the lane and penetrate in the second half."

The Sooners' defense was good, too, holding Michigan scoreless over the first 3 ½ minutes of the second half.

"What we did defensively in both halves, especially in the second half, was phenomenal," Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel said. "We beat a good basketball team, and we're very, very grateful to have an opportunity to continue to play."