View from my Couch - Saturday

Views and Observations from the Games As I watch them

Lots of college basketball action on this Saturday.....

OHIO STATE @ BUTLER

Love it that the Buckeyes are willing to goto Butler to play this game. Certainly they didn't anticipate having to make the trip without Evan Turner. The Bulldogs have come out fired up and playing well before an amped up crowd. Ohio State is starting to get its feet back underneath them after a slow start. Butler holds a 21-14 lead about midway through the first half....With Turner not playing, Butler is really defending Jon Diebler hard. OSU is going to need someone else to step up offensively.....Diebler only has two shots to this point and he has missed both....Butler leads by 10....Thad Matta has always been one of my favorite coaches. I think he's doing a whale of a job today in the building he used to be the Head Coach. Ohio State has rallied from down 11 - to take a one point lead as David Lighty has been a big factor....The Buckeyes have gotten a little big more aggressive. After not drawing a foul in the first 9+ minutes, Ohio State is now drawing contact....I just love how Butler is cutting to the basket and getting points out of it. They clearly are not as athletic as many teams. But they are getting points. They lead by four at the first second half timeout....Matta not only a coach at Butler, but a guard there as well. Not sure I remembered that....Maybe Brad Stevens is the guy to stay at Butler. Matta left after one season - and Kevin Lickliter moved onto Iowa, where he is now struggling. This is a great game going on right now.  Hayward has 18 points for the Bulldogs, who lead by two at the moment....Lauderdale is 6-of-7 shooting today - he entered 18-of-20 that is from the field. Crazy stuff....Great play off the timeout to get an esay layup for Butler. Ohio State needs to pick it up at the defensive end....Ohio State has to be careful here. Butler has pushed the lead to six. You get the feeling that if they extend that any more, they won't let them back in it, like they did in the first half....Ohio State now 10 - as Butler has run it out on a 12-2 run....I think it has become obvious that Butler is going to win this game. And as the game wears on, OSU has missed Evan Turner more and more, and now when they need someone to make a play, they are really struggling without him. The defense just gets that much tighter with the game on the line....The only question about this game down the stretch is whether Diebler's 18-game three pointer streak is extended. He doesn't have on and Butler leads 67-50 after scoring 15 in a row....Fan Blog curse hitting Butler right now. The Buckeyes have scored 9 in a row - to draw within eight but the clock is getting short....Diebler has his three. It cuts the lead to 69-62, but there is only 1:35 left....Butler is self-destructing. Ohio State has remarkably cut it to three with :46 left. This 1-2-2 press that Ohio State has gone to, has really given Butler fits....Great effort by Ohio State which isn't the same team without Turner - and it is going to be tough for them until he gets back which won't be until at last February. A good win for Butler in a great atmosphere....BUTLER Won The Game 74-66.

GEORGETOWN VS WASHINGTON - Kenpom.com Fan Match of the Day

The Hoyas blew open a close game early in the second half. Georgetown continues to prove that they are going to be better than they were a year ago. Washington isn't a great team, but I think probably the best team that the Hoyas have beaten. Plus to travel across the country and play a focused game at an 11AM local start in front of a lot of empty seats shows the determination that this team has. It was another good win for the Big East. The Pac 10 is pretty bad. Ray thinks they are a two-bid lead at the present time, but I'd think by the end of it they'll end up with at least 3. Cal is a lock, Washington is pretty close to that, and I think Arizona State will end up there at the end. Then you'll have Oregon, Washington State and Arizona fighting to get there. And at some point UCLA will start winning some games.

PURDUE @ ALABAMA

The Tide just scored 16 straight points to take control midway through the first half. Purdue continues to be a team that plays horrible for awhile and then plays well enough to win. We'll see if that happens here tonight. Not sure that they have enough outside shooting to be a premier team. But I give them credit for going on the road and playing a big time opponent on the road. ESPN just showed a stat where only one ranked team has won a true road game against a BCS conference school this season. So why is it that Syracuse is the only school that gets grief for not scheduling a lot of road games before the regular season?....The Shot clock is transparent at Alabama - just thought you'd be interested....Anthony Grant's bunch is really playing hard tonight and the crowd seems to be charged after Mark Ingram won the Heisman. So what I want to know are people going to pick on Mark Ingram for breaking down after winning the Heisman, like they did to Tebow after the loss in the SEC Championship....That Bama defense forced 12 turrnovers and held Purdue to a season low 28 points in the first half....

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

ARMY VS NAVY

Loved watching bits and pieces of this today. Absolutely amazing that Army hasn't scored a touchdown in three years in that game. The two schools are closer in ability then they've been in a few years. And I get the feeling that Ken Ellerson can lead the Black Knights to the type of success that they've had at Navy recently. Of course the loss today, keeps them out of the EagleBank Bowl and clears the way for UCLA to make the trip to RFK to take on Temple. Maybe I'll make the trip to watch. And then again maybe not....