Eleven Warriors

So, it's Texas.

While this matchup had been assumed since Thanksgiving, this is a great bowl and a fantastic opponent. After getting curb-stomped by the Trojans, if you had told me the Buckeyes would end up in another BCS bowl game against a team that has a legitimate complaint to be playing in the MNC, I'd have taken it in a second.

The seniors are getting a rubber match with the team that gave them two of their most defining games in their time in Columbus. But better yet, the program is getting a game with nothing much to lose and plenty to gain.

Convoluted ranking schemes aside, the Longhorns very well might be the best team in the nation. After all, they beat an otherwise dominant Oklahoma, the same team that's playing for it all, by double-digits when they met in early October. That was the start of a murderous stretch of four games which saw them also face #11 Missouri, #6 Oklahoma State and #7 Texas Tech. A last second stumble in Lubbock ultimately killed their championship hopes, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a team with a better resume.

Barry Switzer is already talking about style points helping the Longhorns to a split title and that very well might happen, but there's something to be said for a team coming into a game that most don't expect it to win. That's especially so when the team is as talented as the Buckeyes. Colt McCoy and that offense can pile up points, but something tells me they haven't run into too many secondaries like Ohio State's.

It will be difficult for anything to top the hype of the last two times the Buckeyes squared off with the Longhonrs, but we'll take this one.

It was the Evan Turner show during Ohio State's 67-62 win over the Fighting Irish in Indianapolis on Saturday. He completely dominated the second half, constantly going to the hoop and scoring 20 of his career high 28.

The Buckeyes will surely find themselves in the top 25 this week, after pulling off two road wins against ranked opponents.

Once again Ohio State got off to a slow start, allowing ND to jump out to a 8-2 lead with 5 minutes gone in the game. Luke Harangody shook off his recent pneumonia and scored 6 quick points in the opening minutes, but that 6 point lead would be the Irish's largest of the day.

After that, William Buford got the offense going by hitting two straight and closing the gap to 8-7. Buford played extensively in the first half, since Diebler got into early foul trouble. William added another 4 in the half and ended up with 9 points in 24 minutes, to go along with 3 boards.

Notre Dame would push the lead back up to 5 with 10 minutes left, but OSU scored 7 points in 25 seconds, fueled by Turner's 2 straight steals and took a 17-15 lead with just over 9 to play. Both teams would stay within 4 points of each other for the next 7+ minutes, but Buford hit a jumper and assisted on BJ Mullens' bucket to lead 30-26 with 48 seconds left and carried a 30-28 margin into half.

Before I go any further, I must first give due props to Luke Harangody. He just doesn't look like a baller, but he had 15 points and 11 boards at the half and finished with 25 and 16. The Bucks did a better job of shutting him down in the second and perhaps his recent illness effected his conditioning, but that dude can flat out play.

Ohio State held the Irish to 35% shooting in the fist half and Harangody was the only player to have more than 1 FG. The Bucks didn't fare much better, connecting on 3 of their first 15, but hitting 9 of the next 17 to finish at 38 percent.

It was great to see the Buckeyes come out with the same defensive intensity they displayed in the second half of the Miami game. They extended the match up zone to well beyond the 3 point line and slowed the Irish offense down with the constant 3/4 court token press.

For the second straight game, Evan Turner took over after half and willed Ohio State to victory. He scored the first 8 points and combined with BJ Mullens to score the first 18, leading the Bucks to a 50-41 lead with 10:23 left. OSU would push the lead to 10 with 6:54 left and then fought off a late Notre Dame rally, which had them within 1 with 29 seconds left, but Turner and Simmons hit 4 free throws in the closing moments to secure the victory.

As mentioned, Turner, playing the entire game, finished with a career high 28 points, to go along with 10 rebounds (5 offensive), 5 assists and was only credited with 2 steals, but had at least 4 by my count. He still turns it over a bit much, with another 6 on Saturday, but Chris is right, he is going to be all conference and with his second double-double in three games, you might hear whispers of POY. His sudden dominance is remarkable.

BJ Mullens continued his improvement, scoring 11 points, on 4-8 shooting and grabbing 7 caroms. He showed a couple of nice offensive moves in the low post and looks more and more comfortable on the floor. Him and Buford helped OSU outscore the Irish bench 20-5.

Good thing the bench showed up, because Lighty (2-10), Simmons (1-8) and Diebler (1-7) struggled in the empty Lucas Oil Stadium. The trio combined to shoot 2 of 13 from downtown, but chipped in with 15 boards and only 2 turnovers.

As expected, Matta shortened his bench, playing only 8 players. Dallas Swatterdale continued to impress with another 6 blocks, 6 points and 5 rebounds. Anthony Crater played 11 minutes and contributed 2 assists.

The Buckeye zone continued its puzzling looks and held their fifth straight opponent to under 40 percent shooting. The rebounding is getting better, as the Buckeyes beat ND 21-13 off the glass in the second and only allowed 9 offensive boards all game.

The Irish came in averaging 26 threepoint attempts per game, but OSU held them to just 7 of 19 and didn't allow Kyle McAlarney to make one, forcing him to go 0-6 from deep and 3-11 overall. Remember, he put up 39 against North Carolina and came in scoring 20 points a game. Tory Jackson was the only other player in double digits, going for 13.

The Bucks now sit at 5-0 and have a week off before facing undefeated Butler at home this Saturday.

Time flies when you're alternating between having fun and crying over a stale offense. Here we are -- the final Saturday* of the 2008 college football season. One last opportunity to show off your remote-fu and take in as much of the action a possible.

We're staring at 12 solid hours of football, including the collision between undefeated Bama and Tebow-powered Florida in the SEC championship at 4PM.

Of course there's another pretty big game tipping off at 4PM, but it will only be seen by the four of you that get ESPNU.

If you are fortunate enough to get the Buckeye hoops game, feel free to fill the rest of us mere plebs in via your lively comments. We want the news of Evan Turner's first triple-double to come via comment.

If you happen to be stuck watching conference championships and the various rivalry games, you know the drill. I'm sure we can project the failures of whatever offense happens to be stalling on to Bollman in some manner.

* Note to the semantics brigade: I realize there are some bowls that fall on Saturday, but you get my point.

Ohio State 4-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

December 6, 2008 4:00 PM ET - ESPNU —— Lucas Oil Field Indianapolis, IN

#7 Notre Dame 6-1, 0-0 Big East Roster | Schedule

Ohio State travels to Indianapolis to play Notre Dame on a "neutral court" as part of The Hartford Hall of Fame Classic, at Lucas Oil Stadium, new home to the Colts.

The undercard has Indiana taking on Gonzaga at 1:30, so any Hoosier fans left in the house are unlikely to cheer for their B10 brethren, unless they hate ND as much as we do.

These will be the first two hoops games held at this new facility, which opened in August, but has already been awarded the Final Four in 2010 and Super Bowl in 2012. There will be about 40,000 seats available for the game and if for some reason you get the itch to go, tickets are starting at a cool $125, but some nose bleed $15 cheapies can be found.

Obviously the Buckeyes are riding high after their 73-68 comeback victory Tuesday over #22 Miami. Notre Dame is one of the most veteran teams in the nation, starting 4 seniors and a junior, but OSU may have caught a break with the Irish's top player, Luke Harangody possibly out with pneumonia.

#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST	POS	#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST
2	Jeremie Simmons	7.8	1.5	2.5	G	2	Tory Jackson	12.6	4.4	6.3
33	Jon Diebler	12.8	2.5	1.8	G	23	Kyle McAlarney	20.7	2.4	3.9
23	David Lighty	7.8	4.5	1.5	F	42	Ryan Ayers	13.6	3.3	1.4
21	Evan Turner	13.8	7.3	3.0	F	33	Zach Hillesland	6.6	7.0	3.3
52	Dallas Lauderdale	7.8	4.8	0.00	C	40	Luke Zeller	7.9	5.7	0.9

Opponent

Notre Dame is already battle tested this young season, making the trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, where they took home second place by beating Indiana (88-50), Texas (81-80) and losing to UNC (102-87). They won their other three games by an average of 31 points and are scoring 87.1 points a game, ninth best in the country. This is simply a good team, who plays smart, shoots well and may be the best team OSU faces all season.

As mentioned, reigning Big East POY Harangody should be out sick, but they still have one of the best shooters in college hoops, Kyle McAlarney, who has made 39 of 76 three pointers attempted this year. He made 10 of 18 against UNC and 26 over his last three games. OSU will have to extend their zone pressure to the locker room, to help cover McAlarney's range.

The Bucks will also have to be watchful of Ryan Ayers, Randy's son and Tory Jackson. Ayers went for 35 in their last game, nailing 9 of 14 bombs and has hit 20 of 43 on the season. Jackson is their junior point guard who has played since he first walked on campus, but will not look to shoot the three as much, preferring the drive and dish.

Buckeye Breakdown:

At the beginning of the week, I didn't expect a victory in either game, but after that second half performance on Tuesday, I now believe anything is possible. The key to this game is coming out and carrying over the defensive intensity, extending the zone to almost half court and pressuring the ball. I don't know how much full court will be used, as the Irish have great ball handlers.

Ohio State is giving up only 47.3 points a game, good for second in the nation, while ranking fourth in defensive FG's at 43 percent. I think they can defend the threeball against ND, but rebounding has me worried. OSU does a great job at forcing teams to take hurried shots as the clock runs down, but they still give up too many second chance points. Miami's front line combined for 38 boards, including 15 on the offensive glass.

Another aspect that is worrisome is free throw shooting. OSU is shooting only 69% from the line this year, including 14 of 24 Tuesday. I think they need to be aggressive driving to the hoop again, in order to get the Irish in foul trouble and give the Bucks a chance at some allegedly easy points.

Expect Thad to use a short bench again, with the Buckeyes off until next Saturday after this one. Buford should see some time in the first half, but don't be surprised to see Lighty, Turner and Diebler play 35+ minutes. Simmons will probably see the majority of time at the point, but Crater could be invaluable on defense and that alone may get him some extra minutes.

I still don't know what to expect of Swatterdale and Mullens playing at the same time. ND starts three players above 6'7", but I think Thad is a bit leery of foul trouble on the inside and we probably won't see them together.

Etc

• Ohio State is 124-208 all-time against ranked teams.
• For all of you doubters, Thad Matta is now 211-66 in his 9th season.
• The Buckeyes have attempted as many three pointers, 83, as free throws this year.

The final weekend of the 14-round playoff known as the college football regular season is finally upon us and it brings conference championship games. Though the Big Ten finished up two weeks ago, there's a certain calm that comes with watching elite teams battle it out for bigger stakes with none of the stress that comes when the Buckeyes are involved.

Nick Saban gets his day of reckoning, Oklahoma gets an opportunity to shed part of its reputation for choking and some team Ball State would wax gets to lay claim to the ACC Championship.

#14 Ball State vs. Buffalo, Fri. 8:00PM ET - ESPN2
The weekend kicks off with the MAC Championship pitting undefeated Ball State against the Bulls of Buffalo, a team that just snuck into the tilt (though they did paste the Bobcats). Both Brady Hoke and Turner Gill are rumored for greener pastures soon and this battle of MAC wunderkinds will be watched by many a search committee. If Ball State manages to win and move to 13-0, they get to celebrate by... going back to Detroit in three weeks to play in the Motor City Bowl. Whitlock is right.

Army vs. Navy, Sat. 12:00PM ET - CBS
The two service academies will meet for the 109th time this weekend in Philadelphia. Navy enters the game 7-4, continuing the success Paul Johnson had at the school before moving on to pick on the SEC. The Black Knights are just 3-8, but one thing is for certain -- each team will run the shit out of the ball. The two offenses come in ranked 1st (Navy) and 9th (Army) nationally in rushing yards per game. Conversely, they're 119th (Navy) and 120th (Army) in passing offense.

#17 Boston College vs. #25 Virginia Tech, Sat. 1:00PM ET - ABC
The ACC is pumped for this one. Not only is the conference's hottest team, Georgia Tech, not playing, but it's a rematch in Tampa of a game that only drew about 30% of capacity last season when the game was played down the road in Jacksonville. Still, the winner goes to Miami, while the loser will be bowling in December.

#1 Alabama vs. #2 Florida, Sat. 4:00PM ET - CBS
Ah, Saturday's main event. The winner will have the inside track for a MNC, because though the SEC isn't as strong as it's been recently, the top two are very capable of bringing the defensive pain to Oklahoma or Texas in Miami. For the last month or so, I thought that Florida was going to drop the hammer on Alabama and Vegas thinks that will certainly happen, but the closer this game gets, the closer the score gets in my head. Auburn may have just canned Tuberville, but 36-0 is exactly the kind of message an all-business team sends when it has chance to look ahead a little. Oh, and there's that Harvin injury.

#5 USC @ UCLA, Sat. 4:30PM ET - ABC
I think Rick Neuheisel is suffering from manhood slippage. Just over three months after calling out his cross-town rival, he's gone all soft and agreed to burn one of his own timeouts so the Trojans have an equal advantage after they lost one for deciding to wear their home unis on the road. It's like he thinks his blinding good looks and generosity will endear himself to Uncle Pete. The only problem with that approach is that Uncle Pete honors kind gestures by hanging a half a hundy on you.

#20 Missouri vs. #2 Oklahoma, Sat. 8:00PM ET - ABC
Sam Bradford is a bit banged up -- and by banged up, I mean his non-throwing hand is basically destroyed. He's still game, however, and will be looking to lead the Sooners past Missouri and into the MNC. The entire state of Texas will be wearing Tiger gear and Pinkel's squad will have revenge on their minds after Oklahoma spoiled their own BCS hopes last season. Taking one on the chin from Mangino is not the way you want to enter this game, but it probably plays out closer than 14.5 the Sooners are favored by. If nothing else, tune in to watch two of Ohio's sons doing battle on opposite sidelines.

#13 Cincinnati @ Hawaii, Sat. 11:30PM ET - ESPN2
The Bearcats are BCS-bound and normally I'd root for them under any circumstances (save one game every few years). That was until Mardy Gilyard lobbed some bombs our way. Now, I'll be staying up late and pulling for Warriors.

The Buckeyes, having ended their season at least a full two weeks before the rest of the world, find themselves in a good position to play in the Fiesta Bowl, and probably against an opponent from the Big 12. Let’s take a look back at the last time the Buckeyes played a Big 12 opponent in the desert – the 2004 Fiesta Bowl, against Kansas State.

The Wildcats

Kansas State University is located in Manhattan, Kansas, which is only slightly more populated and exciting than any given Siberian town on a Tuesday night. Bill Snyder, who earned his chops as an assistant under Hayden Fry at Iowa, had built the lowly Wildcat program into a Big 12 contender, mainly through the use of juco transfers and soft scheduling.

The 2003 Wildcats started the season ranked #7, then suffered a midseason swoon, losing three straight games to Marshall, #13 Texas and Oklahoma State. Snyder’s team righted the ship with seven straight wins, though, including a shocking Big 12 Championship Game upset of then top-ranked Oklahoma. The Wildcats ran up 549 points in the course of the season – the third-highest total points in school history.

Kansas State’s option attack featured quarterback Ell Roberson, who accounted for 3520 rushing and passing yards, and running back Darren Sproles, who rushed for 1986 more on the ground. The Wildcats played just enough defense to keep opponents honest – Bret Bielema served as Snyder’s defensive coordinator.

The Big 12 champions entered the Fiesta Bowl ranked eighth and favored by seven points.

The Buckeyes

See if any of this sounds familiar: a senior-laden, top-ten Buckeyes squad, geared up for a national title run, sent to the Fiesta Bowl as a consolation prize against a Big 12 opponent. Eerie, huh?

The comparisons end there, though. The 2003 Buckeyes were the defending national champions, and stayed in the top ten throughout the year, despite road losses to Wisconsin and Michigan. (Once upon a time, The Game was a rivalry, and in 2003, both Michigan and Ohio State were top-5 teams.)

Tressel’s offense was led by senior quarterback Craig Krenzel and featured a wealth of talent at receiver in future first-round draft picks Michael Jenkins and Santonio Holmes (Drew Carter was there, too, and seems to be doing alright). The running game was something of an unsettled affair following the departure of Maurice Clarett, and relied on Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall.

But it was on defense and special teams where the Buckeyes really shined. The roster had future NFL players all over it, including Tim Anderson, Bobby Carpenter, A.J. Hawk, Chris Gamble, Donte Whitner, Robert Reynolds, Quinn Pitcock, Will Smith, Simon Fraser, Darrion Scott, Ashton Youboty and Dustin Fox – possibly the best collection of NFL-caliber talent in Ohio State history. Kicking duties were handled by Mike Nugent – another future NFL draft selection – and punter B.J. Sander.

Ohio State, denied a Big Ten title by the loss to Michigan, came to Tempe ranked #7 in the country and in an angry mood.

Show Time

Kansas State had problems before the game so much as kicked off. Ell Roberson was accused of sexual assault by a 22-year-old Kansas State alumna who happened to be “visiting” Roberson at the team’s hotel in the early morning hours before the game (no charges were filed). Snyder elected to play Roberson, but didn’t make the decision until minutes before kickoff, and the uncertainty surrounding his situation showed in Roberson’s first-half play.

Ohio State started out the gate quickly. Special teamer John Hollins returned a blocked K-State punt for a touchdown, and Craig Krenzel overcame two first-quarter interceptions with a 6-yard scoring strike to Santonio Holmes on a crossing pattern, giving the Buckeyes a 14-0 lead.

Kansas State started their next possession pinned at their own 5-yard line. The Buckeyes rushed seven, hurried Roberson into throwing an interception to Chris Gamble, and Krenzel hit Michael Jenkins for a 17-yard touchdown on the very next play (you can see that three-play series here). Ohio State had rolled out to a 21-0 lead – the first 21-0 lead in Buckeyes bowl history, and a tie for the team record for largest lead in a bowl game.

The Wildcats finally scored with 3:01 left in the second quarter on a 6-yard option pitch to Sproles. The half ended with Ohio State outgaining the Wildcats 168-96 in yardage, and with the scent of a rout in the air.

Back and Forth

Ohio State could do nothing with its initial possession of the second half, but Kansas State undertook a 70-yard drive that ended with a 14-yard run around the left by Roberson off an option fake. The Wildcats had closed the OSU lead to seven with 8:59 left in the third quarter.

Krenzel and the Ohio State offense answered the challenge. The Buckeyes marched 74 yards, including a 37-yard pass to Michael Jenkins that moved him atop the all-time Ohio State receiving yards list. Krenzel hit Jenkins again for an 8-yard score, and Ohio State went back up by fourteen, 28-14. Kansas State went three-and-out on its next possession, and the Buckeyes went to the ground game, pounding the ball with Ross and Hall. A play-action pass, set up perfectly by Ohio State’s relentless pounding on the ground, resulted in a 31-yard score from Krenzel to Holmes as the third quarter expired. The Buckeyes now led 35-14, and looked poised to drain the clock in the fourth quarter.

Crunch Time

Kansas State wasn’t quite finished yet. Nugent’s kickoff was returned inside OSU territory, and the Wildcats scored on Ayo Saba’s 3-yard touchdown carry. Another Wildcat possession ended with an errant field goal attempt that clanked off the upright, but the ensuing Ohio State three-and-out led to a third second-half Wildcat touchdown. Ell Roberson took to the air, passing for 73 yards before scoring on a 1-yard keeper at the goal line; the score was now 35-28 with 2:47 left to play.

Short on time, Snyder called for the obvious: an onside kick, which the Wildcats recovered, but an offside penalty forced a retry that was snuffed out by Bobby Carpenter. Ohio State played things close to The Vest, and drained a little time off the clock before a Sander punt pinned Kansas State at their own 10-yard line with 1:12 left in the game. Roberson connected on two passes for 57 yards, but ran out of clock in Ohio State territory. A last-second Hail Mary was batted down by Ohio State safety Nate Salley, and the Buckeyes had their second straight Fiesta Bowl win.

It was a remarkably even game. Ohio State accrued 9 penalties for 63 yards; Kansas State picked up 8 for 51. Ohio State kept the ball for 31:28, Kansas State was just under three minutes behind. The Wildcats amassed 378 yards of total offense, the Buckeyes, 337. Roberson set a record for pass attempts against the Buckeyes with 52, and both Jenkins and Holmes tied the Ohio State team record for touchdown receptions in a bowl game with two apiece; Craig Krenzel set a team record for touchdown passes in a bowl game (4).

Aftermath

Craig Krenzel took Fiesta Bowl Offensive MVP honors for the second straight year, and A.J. Hawk claimed the Defensive MVP award. Ohio State was now 2-0 in BCS games (both Fiesta Bowl wins), and left Tempe hoping that every BCS game was played in Arizona.

The loss to Ohio State proved to be something of a swan song for the Wildcats program. Bill Snyder left Kansas State the following season, but has since returned to head coaching duties following the firing of Ron Prince.

This year, it pays to be a coaching retread or a thirty-something failed NFL coach with only limited college experience – hot wife, though.

Before I get going, I think I heard Miami's best player got tossed in the first half. Not quite sure though, Dave O'Brien didn't cover it after the incident.

This game was simply a tale of two halves, as Ohio State erased a 36-22 halftime deficit en route to a 73-68 victory over #22 Miami. Thad was fired up on the sidelines during the first and that no doubt carried over into the locker room, because it was a completely different team in the second. I would have loved to be in that locker room, I'm sure Thad told security to hide the children.

The young Bucks came out flat and relied on the 3-point shot early, allowing UM to build a 16-4 lead 8 minutes into the game. During that span, Miami's Jack McClinton nailed 3 threes and Evan Turner committed 2 offensive fouls, forcing him to the bench. However, after one more three pointer made by McClinton, he decided to throw an open handed swing at Anthony Crater and was rightfully tossed from the game.

The ejection seemed to benefit the U, as they played with more fire and passion the rest of the half and OSU was lucky to only be down 14 at the break. At half, Ohio State had 9 TO's and took 16 of their 29 shots from behind the arc, making only 3 of them. By my estimation, there was 1 post entry pass from the wing.

Ohio State used a 15-2 run in the first 5 minutes of the second to pull within 1 point. The run was fueled by the fresh legs of Evan Turner, who finally started taking it to the rim and scored 6 of his 19 during that stretch.

The two teams would exchange mini-runs for the next 9 minutes, until Jeremie Simmons nailed his only bomb of the game, to put OSU up for good at 57-54. Ohio State then held Miami to just 10 points over the last 5 minutes of the game, to capture their first road win of the season.

Thad definitely shortened his bench against such a veteran opponent, going with Diebler and Lighty for the entire 40 minutes. Diebler took full advantage, going for a game high 20 points, including 6-12 from downtown and continued to show a better feel for the speed D1 hoops.

Turner once again showed why he is going to be all-conference, totaling (in one half) 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, to go along with his 19 points. His steal and 360 dunk with five to go was a reward for his consistent driving to the rim in the second.

Lighty caught the fever and started imitating Turner, finishing with 11 points and 6 boards. Hopefully he realizes soon that he is not a 3ball specialist, going 0-6 last night, while making 5-6 inside the paint. I have always thought Lighty could drive with the best of them, I just never understood why he doesn't hit that 8-10 foot jumper instead of making a twisting pass out of traffic.

As could be his achilles heel all year, Dallas Swatterdale was in early foul trouble and finished with 6 points on 3-3 shooting, to go along with his 3 caroms. However, Dallas captured a Sportscenter Top 10 plays spot with his facial on a Hurricane defender.

B.J. Mullens had his best night off the glass with 9, but simply is not getting enough touches inside and finished with only 5 points. The two combined for only 1-6 from the charity stripe and did a much better job of shutting down the offensive boards for Miami as the game evolved.

The numbers from the PG spot were respectable, as Simmons and Crater combined for 12 points, 5 assists and 1 TO. As a team, Ohio State committed only 1 turnover in the second, while creating 10 for Miami. Due to the shortened bench, William Buford missed his only 2 shots in 6 minutes and I don't recall seeing Offut on the floor.

This team showed resilience and that's attributed to Thad and his coaching staff. I hope people really appreciate him as a coach, he is one of the best out there and he will get a chance to prove it again this Saturday when OSU takes on #7 Notre Dame in Indianapolis.

Tipoff:	7:00PM ET
Previews:	11W
Favorite:	Miami (-8)
Television:	ESPN
Radio:	OSU Basketball Affiliates

Ohio State will be looking to improve their ACC/B10 Challenge record to 3-5 overall, when they make the quick trip down to Miami to face the #22 Hurricanes.

Miami has yet to win a game in their two previous challenge tries, but have won 28 of their last 30 home games against unranked OOC opponents. The ACC holds a 33-4 mark at home during the ESPN made-for-TV event.

The young Buckeyes hopefully packed their offensive gymbags, after getting trounced by Texas A&M, Butler and UNC last year around this time. If you remember, Thad's boys went bucketless during large stretches in each of those games and averaged just 49 points. The 'Canes start 2 seniors and 3 juniors, so this looks to be another daunting early season task for Ohio State.

With the most recent Buckeye offensive output still fresh on my mind, I don't have a great feeling about pulling off the upset against a veteran team such as Miami. The defense should be there, but I just can't see enough points being scored by the Bucks. However, that doesn't mean we still can't discuss the game as it goes on and look to see if a couple of aspects of this team can emerge.

Three burning questions:

1. Which David Lighty and Jon Diebler will show up tonight?
2. Can Evan Turner and Dallas Swatterdale continue their improvement?
3. Can either Jeremie Simmons or Anthony Crater drive and dish to get the stagnant offense a jump start?

Unfortunately, not having the current Buckeyes playing on Saturday must have effected the performance of the Sunday Bucks, as no one felt the need to step up and capture this prestigious award.

While this week's stats may not be the best, it doesn't mean that someone didn't deserve the award and the winner is guaranteed to make a few of our readers sport half chubs at their cubicle.

Special mention once again goes out to Nate Clements, who helped lead Mike Singletary and the 49ers to a 10-3 road victory in Buffalo. Nate Dawg had 6 solo tackles and helped hold the Bills to 205 yards passing, as San Fran became the first west coast team to win on the east side this season.

Chris Gamble celebrated his contract extension with 6 tackles in Carolina's 35-31 comeback victory at Green Bay, while Na'il Diggs chipped in with 3 tackles and A.J. Hawk lead the Packers with 9 stops. The Panthers kept pace with Tampa atop the division at 9-3, as the teams will battle each other this coming Monday night. Joey Galloway vs. Chris Gamble anyone?

Ted Ginn had his fourth straight game with 50+ yards, but also had his fifth fumble of the season in Miami's 16-12 win over the Rams. In the same game, Antonio Pittman took a back seat to Stephen Jackson, gaining only 25 yards on 6 carries. Gonzo and Santonio only caught 2 passes apiece in their teams' victories, but one of Holmes's catches went for a 19 yard TD. Quick Trivia... who has more catches this season, Gonzo, Holmes or Ginn?

Just like last week, not having a statistical leader allows me to give the award to a season long performer who may not get recognized on a consistent basis. With Pittsburgh's 33-10 victory in New England, the Steelers have now won three straight and have allowed only 10 points in each of those contest, climbing to 9-3 and second in the AFC.

The architect of that great defense of course is Buckeye great Dick Lebeau, in his fifth season as the Steelers defensive coordinator (for the 2nd time) and 35th year in the league as a coach. Pittsburgh once again is ranked first in the NFL for total defense, as Lebeau's zone blitz invention still has offenses guessing which gap their coming from.

Matt Cassel and NE had scored 78 points and passed for over 400 yards in the past two games, but LeBeau and the Steelers held the Patriots to 267 total yards and created 5 turnovers. On the season, Pittsburgh is giving up a mere 238 yards a game and leads the league in sacks with 42.

I have always hated the Steelers, but this defense is incredible to watch and I have wanted to give LeBeau his due props all season. The road doesn't get easier, as the Steelers host Dallas this week, travel to Baltimore and Tennessee the following two and finish off with Cleveland.

Ohio State 3-0, 0-0 Big Ten Roster | Schedule

December 2, 2008 7:00 PM ET - ESPN —— BankUnited Center Coral Gables, FL

#22 Miami (Florida) 4-1, 0-0 ACC Roster | Schedule

The 10th annual ACC / Big Ten Challenge began last night with Wisky getting the conference off to a good start going on the road to beat Va. Tech 74-72. In case you've been living in a cave, the ACC has won the challenge nine straight years making it not so much of a challenge anymore.

That said, there's some pretty tasty games this year including Duke at Purdue and North Carolina at Michigan State (Ford Field) in addition to Ohio State at Miami.

Though the ACC has owned this little ESPN production, the Big Ten has a more than respectable hoops pedigree when you consider their 39 Final Four appearances tie them with the ACC for the all time lead and the conference boasts the most NCAA Tournament bids in history (184). Since 2000, the Big Ten is also the only conference to send five different schools to the Final Four. In truth, the real disparity is typically the lack of quality depth in the Big Ten when compared to the more top-to-bottom competitive ACC.

This year, the Buckeyes draw a road tilt against Miami after losing home and home challenge games against North Carolina the previous two seasons. Ohio State hasn't faced the 'Canes since they knocked third seeded OSU out of the 2000 NCAA Tournament.

#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST	POS	#	Name	PTS	REB	ASST
2	Jeremie Simmons	8.0	1.7	2.7	G	1	Lance Hurdle	8.3	1.0	2.0
33	Jon Diebler	10.3	3.0	2.0	G	33	Jack McClinton	15.8	1.8	2.8
21	Evan Turner	12.0	7.7	2.7	F	23	James Dews	6.4	2.6	0.8
23	David Lighty	6.7	4.0	1.3	F	20	Cyrus McGowan	8.6	5.4	0.8
52	Dallas Lauderdale	8.3	5.3	0.0	C	21	Dwayne Collins	13.6	10.0	1.2

Opponent

The 'Canes are balanced and extend the bench with nine players averaging at least 14 minutes per game thus far but senior guard Jack McClinton (15.8 pts) and 6'8" junior forward Dwayne Collins (13.6 pts, 10.0 reb) are the two guys Ohio State must first look to contain.

McClinton can get hot from deep as evidenced by his 5/8 performance in the Canes' lone loss to UConn three games ago while Collins has put up double-doubles of 18/16 and 16/14 this season albeit against lesser foes. Getting a hand in McClinton's face and keeping Collins off the offensive glass will be a key focuses of the Buckeye zone.

James Dews was also expected to shoulder some of the scoring load after averaging 10.3 per game last season but he's struggled out of the gate shooting just 36% from the field including 21% from deep. He did reach double figures with 10 against Stetson on Saturday.

Buckeye Breakdown:

Fresh off home wins over scrubs Samford, Bowling Green and Delaware State, the Buckeyes hit the road for the first time this season. Though this is only game four, stealing one on the road could end up being a factor come Selection Sunday and would be big for the team's confidence in advance of Saturday's game on a sorta neutral floor in Indianapolis against Notre Dame.

Winning in Coral Gables could prove difficult considering the huge disparity in experience. The Buckeye youth is well documented while Miami starts three seniors and two juniors. How well young and/or Division I inexperienced guys like Simmons, Crater, Mullens and Buford perform will be every bit as important as what the Buckeyes get from pseudo-veterans Lighty, Turner, Diebler and Lauderdale.

Minus the four turnovers, Turner is coming off probably his best game as a Buckeye. The sophomore recorded a career high 13 boards to go with 16 points, 5 steals and 4 assists in the win over Samford. On the young season, Turner is shooting 55% from the floor, 91% from the stripe, and he's stuffing the stat sheet at a crazy rate leading OSU in points, rebounds, assists and steals (3.3). A big game from Turner gives the Buckeyes a chance in this one.

Defensively, OSU will obviously play zone the entire game though it's somewhat uncertain if they will extend 2-2-1 full court pressure the full 40 minutes. The main reason I question whether or not the full court press will be used all game comes down to whether or not Thad is forced to shorten his bench and/or restrict minutes of reserves, specifically Crater.

I'm not down on him by any stretch but his decision making (specifically shot selection) was poor against Samford and his first road game could prove to be a learning experience. I'm extremely interested to see how he performs against a veteran backcourt.

On the baseline, Lauderdale might have his hands full with Collins. How well Lauderdale, Lighty and Turner compete on the glass will likely determine just how much we see of Mullens. We could see a little more of Lauderdale and Mullens on the floor together if they can get to the second half with a low foul count and Mullens can handle the physicality.

All things considered, it's hard to expect a win but I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Ohio State pull the upset if Diebler and company have a hot night beyond the arc.

Etc

• Crater has just 2 turnovers in 46 minutes. The rub? Only 4 assists and he's yet to take a shot from inside the arc (6 FGA).
• Conversely, Simmons has only 1 turnover in 72 minutes while recording 8 assists.
• Under Matta, OSU is 97-4 when leading with 5 minutes left in the game.
• The Buckeyes are ranked 28th in the latest Coaches Poll.