Oklahoma star cleared to return

Star Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin been cleared to play Saturday against Texas Tech following a weeklong layoff due to symptoms of a concussion.

Head Coach Jeff Capel said after Friday’s practice that Griffin was cleared by team doctor Brock Schnebel.

The 6-foot-10 inch sophomore was knocked woozy during a collision with 300-pound Texas center Dexter Pittman in the first half of the second-ranked Sooners’ 73-68 loss to the Longhorns last Saturday. He did not return after leaving the court, and then missed OU’s 87-78 loss to 15th-ranked Kansas two days later.

Griffin also suffered a bloody nose in the collision with Pittman and left at the insistence of team trainers.

Griffin, a likely national player of the year candidate, leads the Big 12 Conference in scoring with 22 points per game and has averaged a nation-high 13.8 rebounds in 27 games.

He leads the nation with 22 double-doubles this season.