This is Not Last Year's Kentucky

Last year coach John Calipari watched his team win their first 18 games, and now his team is 14-4 in their first 18. They have already equaled the amount of SEC games they lost last year in their first four, with two. Last night they lost to Alabama, a team that had a losing streak at the hands of Kentucky since Billy Gillespie was there, and had won eight of the last nine in the match up.

This is their second loss on the road, and the frustration of their inconsistency, and lack of toughness is showing. It boiled over when Calipari gave a tongue lashing to freshman Terrence Jones that was caught by cameras. In response, the coach tweeted and apology for the lapse in judgment.

"UKCoachCalipari: First of all I want to apologize for my language at the end of the game. I got caught up in the emotion of the game, but that's no excuse."

The problem was his next tweet for me though, apologizing for it being on national television.

"UKCoachCalipari: Sometimes you don't realize in the moment that what you're saying is on national TV. The BBN deserves better and so do my players."

I am not a fan of his clarifying that it was on national TV. Here is an idea Cal, calm down and realize you are acting like a psycho on the sideline ALL THE TIME, and that you went on a verbal tirade against your best player. Who cares that it was on TV? You obviously do not mean the apology if it is being noted with that statement. But that is really a whole different issue, the fact is that this year's Kentucky team is not the team Calipari wants them to be right now, obviously.

So that begs the question, why are people acting as if they are? A couple of weeks ago people were assuming they were going to go undefeated in the SEC. Why? Also that after going undefeated they would end up with a number one seed again. Why? That they are a team that you can expect to see in Houston. Why?

I understand that this team has talent, Terrence Jones is an incredible scorer, and Brandon Knight, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller are extremely lethal from behind the arc. They have not really proven it against people yet though. They lost to North Carolina, who may not even be a tournament team at this point. They lost to two teams from the SEC that few thought had a chance to make it to the big dance, but with those wins are definitely in the conversation.

Does Kentucky have the players and talent to make it to the Final Four? Yes, they absolutely do, especially given a good seed and path. Last year's team though, with all of those first round draft picks, they were a number one seed and expected to make it there. So can we please distinguish that these two teams are different? Not lump them together as "Kentucky" and just assume they deserve to be up in the elite of this year's basketball world yet. Maybe they will be, but let's stop talking about them being there, and let the young team grow into it.

What Did We Learn From Syracuse at Pitt?

When you watch last night's game between the Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh Panthers there are a few things that you could have taken from it. Entering the game there were some questions about rankings and ratings and what not, and the level of play was one that answered those questions. There were also things that we learned that we might not have been asking the questions to.

The first thing is that both of these teams have a wonderful shot to get to Houston for the Final Four. Pittsburgh has been a top 8 team all year, dropping that low only following their loss to Tennessee and climbing back to now number four in the country since. Syracuse began at 10 or 11 depending on your poll, and has continued to rise to three without suffering a loss prior to last night. Last night we saw that when these two teams are playing the way they are capable of that they can beat anyone.

Pittsburgh came out as hot as a team could be on both sides of the ball, and Syracuse unfortunately came out looking like a scared team that could not do anything right, and it led to a 19-0 hole. Then when they turned it on they were able to go on a 17-0 run in the house of one of the five best teams in America. That tells me these two teams can reach the level of unstoppable against anyone, and when they are on you do not want to play them.

Secondly, I think we learned that Pittsburgh is the most disciplined team in the country, and Jamie Dixon, despite what Jim Calhoun and Steve Fisher are doing, should probably be the leading candidate for Coach of the Year. He gets everything from his players, and seems to always have them in the right positions doing the right things.

The reason they were able to win last night was because of how trained they were to beat the zone. They were getting the ball to the foul line and making plays. They seamlessly got the ball to the short corner and attacked the basket, only to show how well coached they are by making the right decision almost every time.

Next thing we learned was that Syracuse, despite their early season scores and close calls, and what Jim Boeheim has been saying, Syracuse is definitely in that top tier of schools. You look at the close games they had with teams like North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, and William and Mary and you think that this team might not be good as their ranking and their record. But if you watched last night, without their leading scorer and probably most talented player, they went toe-to-toe with possibly the best team in the nation and almost beat them on their floor. These Orange are going to be a team that will make a run in the tournament.

That Pittsburgh is probably the deepest team in the nation, feeling very confident going four to five guys deep both on the perimeter and on the front line. They have the ability to bring their 10th and maybe even their 11th man off the bench and be able to compete, and that is incredible, and by far the deepest team I have seen this year, and maybe back to the UCONN team with guys like Rudy Gay, Charlie Villanueva and Marcus Williams.

They have reserves that would start at probably 10 of the other schools in the Big East, the top conference in the nation. Dante Taylor, Travon Woodall and Talib Zanna are the future for Pittsburgh and they would be the now for many teams.

We also learned that Syracuse one heck of a freshman class and bright future. You look at the way that Fab Melo could play in their previous game against Cincinnati when he got into the flow and you see some promise, along with the way Baye Moussa-Keita has played early in the season and you see potential with the bigs. Then last night, in that hostile environment when the team was in a hole early without Kris Joseph, and you see CJ Fair step up the way he did and lead the team in scoring and you can not help but be impressed. The way Dion Waiters came in off the bench and played a really solid all around game. These freshman can play and they are going to certainly be ready for the tournament given they have 12 more games before even the Big East Tournament, and that makes Syracuse that much more dangerous. Boeheim saw last night he can count on those two, along with James Southerland who was seldom used as a freshman and is coming into his own.

The last thing we learned is that Rick Jackson is playing as well as he is in the wrong year, because if it were not for Kemba Walker he would be the Player of the Year in the Big East. Last night against the top rebounding team in the nation he went up time and time again and was able to get board after board on his way to his 12th double double of the season. He was at times rebounding one on three and winning. then to start the second half the Orange continually went to him down low, and he backed down the bigger Pitt defenders and was able to score with exceptional strength. We learned last night that Rick Jackson is not just doing this against the Morgan States, but he can do it against the best of the best.

So these teams may see one another again in the Big East Tournament, or in the NCAA's, or not at all. But last night definitely proved that they are both teams that have a legit shot at going to Houston, and that other teams should not want to see them on their schedules.

Syracuse at Pittsburgh, Meeting of Heavywights

Tonight at 7:30, on ESPN, the highlight of Big Monday, two top five teams are going to meet to decide who the top team in the Big East is, at least in mid-January. Syracuse will travel down to Pittsburgh, walk into the zoo, and try to do what no top five team has done there. Win. Pittsburgh has never lost to a top five team at home in the court's short existence, and if the Panthers continue that trend they will most likely find themselves back in the top two or three of the polls.

The two teams are a combined 35-1, 10-0 in the Big East, and the winner will take a large step in the direction of winning the regular season title with this being their only match up of the year. The game took a slight hit on Saturday, when Syracuse's Kris Joseph, the team's leading scorer, smacked his head one the dome floor as he fell. With concussion symptoms Joseph did not travel with the team and will not be able to play in the monster match.

Those that will be playing though, they know that just because Joseph is not playing does not mean they have to stop, that the game has already been decided. They both have things that they will have to do in order to grab the victory and control of the Big East.

Syracuse

• In order for Syracuse to win they will have to rebound. Pittsburgh has a large and athletic front line that does a great job of rebounding. In order to prevent second chance points, and get some run outs to beat they're great defense Syracuse will have to crash the boards.
• The 2-3 zone has to play tight and close down the passing lanes. Pittsburgh is very unselfish and moves the ball extremely well as a unit, and they should be able to find holes in the zone that other teams do not.
  
• Also in the zone Syracuse has to recognize the shooters. Pittsburgh shoots the three very well, but their key is not taking bad shots. So the Orange have to find Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wannamaker on the perimeter, the two best shooters. If they are able to limit their open shots then they will be able to limit their success from beyond the arc.
• Play inside-outside more. Pittsburgh has a big front line, so Rick Jackson may not score as many points as he would like, but he has to get his touches. Syracuse has shooters that can spot up and step into their shot well, and the inside-outside part of their game will work well.
• Finally, the Orange can't be too aggressive, and need their freshman to step up on the road, which isn't a small task. With the injury to Joseph C.J. Fair will certainly see a lot more time as the first forward off the bench (assuming that James Southerland steps into the starting spot), and Dion Waiters will have to play within himself and under control. Fab Melo will be in a game that suits him with a bigger front line that Pittsburgh has, and both him and Baye Moussa-Keita will have to put rebounding into the forefront of their minds.

Pittsburgh

• For the Panthers to win they have to have patience against the zone. Pittsburgh has the ball handlers, passers and shooters that are able to take their time and get open shots against the long and athletic Orange defenders. Jamie Dixon will put them in the right spots, and it is up to the players to execute.
• They have to attack Rick Jackson and get him in foul trouble. With Joseph not playing the front line not only loses a leader, but they lose a body. If the Panthers are able to get Jackson in foul trouble they will be seeing a freshman in the middle, on the road, in a huge game. Along with a freshman and an inexperienced Sophomore on the wings. Rick Jackson is the key.
• Lastly the Panthers will have to limit their turnovers and protect the ball. Syracuse thrives off of turnovers and getting into the break and scoring in transition, where their athleticism is lethal. If the Panthers make them score in the half court it will slow them down, and their own stingy defense can limit the looks of the Orange.

Lately the Panthers have dominated this match up, winning 12 out of 15, and the Orange were not helped by Joseph getting hurt. Their are two ways to see this game, Pittsburgh controlling the tempo at home and shutting down the man down Orange, or Syracuse with their length and athleticism being able to force turnovers and score in transition.

Heart Prediction: Syracuse 72 Pittsburgh 65
Head Prediction: Pittsburgh 76 Syracuse 68

Let's see what will win out.

Rodgers Dominates as Roethlisberger and Defense Shine

The games on Saturday night were taken over by two performances, Aaron Rodgers being nearly flawless for the Green Bay Packers, and Ben Roethlisberger taking over in the second half to conquer the Baltimore Ravens. In the typically low-scoring rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens, Pittsburgh was able to win in a game that had the highest combined amount of points between the two since 2002. Rodgers and the Packers took control of the game in the second quarter and the Atlanta Falcons never recovered.

The Steelers game began as many expected, the Ravens ending the first possession of the game with a punt. From there, it was not exactly easy to anticipate. The Steelers were able to go right down the field and score on their first drive to take a quick 7-0 lead. The Ravens would then score 21 straight points, helped out greatly by two turnovers by the Steelers in their own territory.

Then came the second half, a half that saw the Steelers score 24 points on their way to a 31-24 win, and a chance to host the AFC Championship game next week. Roethlisberger led the way, controlling the game in the second half on his way to throwing for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Roethlisberger was able to move the ball against the stout Ravens defense, who did all they could to keep their season alive.

The Steelers defense was able to truly dominate the game in front of the home crowd. Of the 24 points given up, seven came on a fumble return in a play where almost all the players on the field stopped anticipating the ruling of an incomplete pass. But the Steelers were able to hold the Ravens to only 126 total yards of offense, not completely new territory for the team that led the league in scoring defense and was second in yards per game defense. They also created huge momentum plays, including a crucial interception of Joe Flacco by the safety Ryan Clark. Finally, the secondary did an incredible job, holding the top two receivers for the Ravens, Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason, to a combined one catch for negative two yards.

The win made the Steelers a perfect 9-0 against division opponents in the playoffs. They will now surely be glued to their televisions tomorrow to see who and where they will be playing the AFC Championship game after the defense and Roethlisberger were able to lead them to victory.

The game between the Packers and Falcons can really be summed up by six words: Aaron Rodgers and interception before halftime.

While Aaron Rodgers was, to put it bluntly, as close to perfect without being perfect, the game also came down to one play and one decision in my mind, that last play of the half.

After leading 14-7 the Falcons had conceded the next 14 points, but were driving right before halftime, and in range for Matt Bryant to attempt roughly a 52-yard field goal. However, with no timeouts and only 10 seconds remaining the Falcons wanted to try and get a little closer for Bryant, and ran a play towards the sideline. Well wouldn't ya know, Tramon Williams picks the ball off and returns it 70 yards. Just like that the Packers go into halftime with a 28-14 lead, and how much more momentum can ya have?

Well I guess you could have a little bit more, such as getting the ball to start the half and scoring another touchdown to cap off a 12-play drive that took 6:32 off the clock. Why the Falcons tried a play where it was obvious, moreso than most times, that they absolutely needed to get to the sideline was beyond me. They make that field goal, go into halftime down 21-17 but with a little momentum for yourselves, and who knows how the rest of the game goes.

Okay, now that the hypothetical of this actually still being a game going into, and just after that first drive of the second half, let us get to the reality of this game, and that is the fact that Aaron Rodgers was literally unstoppable.

In the game Rodgers went a modest 31-36 with 366 yards and three touchdowns. Not that bad. Oh and his quarterback rating, already the first player to have it over 120 in both of his first two NFL playoff starts, well he did it again, setting the bar a bit higher. You really can't say enough about how great he played, every decision, scramble, throw was great. One of the greatest and most flawless playoff performances you are going to see, and he led them to the win, and a berth in the NFC Championship game.

Rodgers could not have summed up his game and the night any better:

"It was one of those nights. Guys made some big plays. I felt in the zone. . . .  We had fun all night. . . .  It feels so good."

Game of the Day: Ravens at Steelers

This weekend is full of rematches, and in the AFC there are two rubber matches, and it all gets kicked off with the most intriguing game of the weekend with the Baltimore Ravens traveling to Pittsburgh to meet up yet again with the Steelers.

Arguably the best rivalry in the past decade in the NFL, these two teams aren't really separated by that much within the rivalry. In their 17 meetings since 2003 the Steelers hold the slightest of edges 9-8, and in those games they have each scored 302 points. Just this year the Ravens won the week four matchup 17-14, and Pittsburgh then came back and won the rematch 13-10.

These teams are so evenly matched, and even in terms of personnel, it is a little eerie. They each have quarterbacks that have shown they can win in the playoffs, dual threat running backs, a standout defense that has play making safeties and top tier linebackers, and young ambitious coaches. Two teams, two organizations, so evenly matched where do they grab the upper hand?

The Steelers know where to turn when they need a big play, a big drive, a big game, and that is to Ben Roethlisberger. He has been able to prove time and again that when it is needed he will come through and make a play (just ask the Arizona Cardinals). While Joe Flacco has done well in road playoff games, he has struggled with the Steelers, and has not won a game in which Roethlisberger has started. That is an advantage, a huge one, that the Steelers come in with.

Then again, the Ravens have an advantage of their own, wears number 27, Ray Rice. Though he struggled in both match ups between the two this year, Rice amassed nearly 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Getting Rice going will be a big factor for the Ravens in ball control, and Rice will also be very active in the passing game. In the Wildcard playoff match up with the Kansas City Chiefs Flacco consistently checked down to Rice, averaging over eight yards a catch and scored a touchdown. Though there are reports that Rice currently has a stomach virus, something to certainly keep watch of.

This game is sure to be one that is close throughout, and whoever makes a play late is most likely to come away with the victory. So who do I see coming away with the win? Frankly, I think whoever has the safety who makes more plays. Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu are hands down the two best safeties in the game, both great playmakers, so it comes down to who will make more for their team in a game that will probably be a defensive battle.

I think that Roethlisberger will win the quarterback battle, end up between 200 and 250 yards and a touchdown, with Flacco throwing an interception along the way for the Ravens. Rice will struggle running the ball because the Steelers will probably want Flacco to try and beat them, but Rice should be active out of the backfield and help the Ravens move the ball to get points on the board.

My prediction, Steelers win the game 20-16 and move onto the AFC Championship. Big Ben is able to control the tempo as they see fit, and the Ravens are playing from behind early. Neither team will be running away with it at any point, instead it is nip and tuck like always given that Rice does play and is at near full strength. Would you expect anything less though between the two?

Can it Live Up to the Hype?

Isn't that what we are all asking ourselves? Or perhaps should it be? Through all of Rex Ryan's vendettas, Antonio Cromartie's rants, and Tom Brady's annoying shrug off smiles, the question is will the game even be worth all of this? By now if you have watched any coverage of the game you know all about the 45-3 whooping the Patriots gave the Jets in their last meeting. So what is going to be different?

Why the Jets will make this a different game:

I think it is probably on the Jets to make this game different, they are going to have to go and make it different, rather than rely on the Patriots to make mistakes. It all really starts with Mark Sanchez, who has to take care of the ball and lead long drives to keep the defense well rested and the Patriots offense off of the field, much like they did against the Colts.

Sanchez has to play as he did in the game the Jets won at Pittsburgh, where he only threw for 170 yards, but he had zero interceptions and even ran one in for a big score in the 22-17 win. If Sanchez is able to control the ball then the chances of a Jets win increase dramatically, especially given the three interceptions he threw in that romp by the Patriots.

Control the line of scrimmage, it is something that you hear all the time, but with the two styles of play here it is most crucial. Against the Colts the Jets dominated the line of scrimmage, leading to complete control of the clock in the second half, and having both running backs over 70 yards, as well as the offense running 69 plays compared to the Colts 53. It also takes precedence on the defensive side of the ball too, because the more chances the Jets defense gets to go into passing situations, the better chances they have of stopping the Patriots. The element of surprise gone will aid a defense like the Jets drastically.

Finally, it comes down to the Jets secondary. There is no hiding the thrashing that Brady put on the Jets on that Monday night, and in order to stay close enough to continue running the ball the need to not let that passing game just walk all over them. The interesting thing this week will be who Darrelle Revis matches up with. After essentially taking Reggie Wayne out of the Wild Card match up last Saturday (whether it consisted of him getting away with holds or not), it will be on him to cut off either Wes Welker or Deion Branch presumably. I would think that given his quickness and ability to sneak a hold in, and a quick grab here and there (or most plays), Welker would be his mark. Take Welker away and Brady loses his most prized scape goat and first down target.

Why the Patriots will make it seem like deja vu:

Tom Brady has not thrown an interception since week six against the Ravens. He is not giving the ball back to the opposing team, and that ball control has led to the Patriots an 10-1 record since then, including wins over playoff teams in the Colts, Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, and of course the Jets (not to mention winning that game against the Ravens in which he threw two). The ball control the Patriots appear to be in line for will cripple the Jets chances at keeping the run game going on the other side of the ball.

The Patriots defense has seemingly turned it around, as in the last five games they have given up a total of 47 points in the five victories. That includes 27 to the Packers in a win. A nine point average, and only an average of five if you were to remove that game against the Packers. The defense has also been stout against the run, finishing in the top 11 in the league against it, giving up just over 100 yards per game.

Injuries to the Jets is a third variable, especially in the secondary. In the previous match up the Jets lost starting safety, and secondary quarterback, Jim Leonhard in the week leading up to the game which was apparent throughout the game, in the midst of Brady having four passing touchdowns. So aside from having an advantage with Eric Smith continuing in the secondary, the Jets also had nickel back Drew Coleman get injured in this week leading up to the game. So while Revis and Cromartie may do a great job in guarding both Welker and Branch, the likelihood of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez having big numbers against the injured secondary increases, with Brady looking to both tight ends frequently. Also, going back to controlling the line of scrimmage, veteran starter Damien Woody has been sidelined this week due to an achilles injury, making it that much tougher on the run game and Sanchez.

In this rubber match it would appear that the Patriots have a huge upper hand, given the injuries, home field advantage, and just the sheer dominance they showed in the previous match up. While the Jets could keep it closer, in fact much closer, it seems that the variables are in the favor of the Patriots once again. But one thing for sure is that in Rex Ryan's revenge tour you can expect it to be a physical and entertaining game in terms of headlines. At this point though, signs seem to point to Foxboro being home to another AFC Championship game.

Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl Frontrunners?

So the Eagles last night destroyed the Washington Redskins, 59-28 putting up the most points in Monday Night Football history, but that wasn't the most impressive thing. No, that was the fact that the Eagles were up 35-0 after five possessions, and just nine seconds into the second quarter. It was a whooping, and it was a whooping because of Michael Vick. Vick's statline was incredible with over 330 yards passing, 80 yards rushing, and a total of six (yes, six) touchdowns.

But that was not the most amazing part, it was the precision and unstoppable nature that Vick played with. Look no further than the first play of the game with his pass to DeSean Jackson to score 17 seconds in:

Vick was unstoppable, going 10-10 with a three touchdowns before there was any sort of small mishap, an incompletion that occurred only because of a missed assignment by the line. Vick is making a case for being the league MVP, even though he was not the opening day starter, and with injury has only started five out of nine games.

Though the Eagles do no have the best record in the NFL, or the NFC for that matter, they have to be in the discussion as a Super Bowl favorite, but they should probably be leading it. All you have to do is simply look at the games in which Vick has started and played the whole game. They are 4-0 and outscoring their opponents 188-87. Not to mention wins over the Colts with Vick and even a win against NFC-leading Falcons without him.

Just look at the roster besides Vick, they have a shifty running back that can catch balls out of the backfield in LeSean McCoy. They have two of the fastest receivers that Vick has at his disposal with Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, with Brent Celek in the middle of the field drawing attention away from them.

Then on defense they have an elite pass rusher in Trent Cole, Stewart Bradley to stop the run on the second level with Ernie Sims able to rush the passer extremely well with his speed at the linebacker position, and then finally Asante Samuel shutting down one side of the field in the secondary. They seem to have every facet covered for the most part.

Vick and Jackson seem to be an unstoppable force together too. In the games that Vick has played the majority of Jackson has averaged 115 yards receiving, and caught four touchdowns.

The Eagles have the parts to win the Super Bowl, and the way Vick is playing and has looked thus far this year, you have to put them at the top of the list. At the very least as the NFC leader. I mean, do you want to play against Vick and the Eagles?