Noblesville Millers drop home opener to 2A #3 Northfield, 4-3

The Noblesville Millers opened up the 2012 home schedule with a little extra hop in their step. After Monday night’s 9-0 whipping of the Pike Red Devils on the road, the Millers were anxious for their first home game and that welcomed the 2A #3 Northfield Norsemen.

2A #3 Northfield wasted no time getting to Noblesville senior starter Taran Murphy. Shortstop Adam Roser led off with a walk and eventually scored in the first on a Ryan Keaffaber single to center. Murphy tallied two strikeouts in the inning, nonetheless.

Murphy settled in after Keaffaber’s RBI single in the first. He struck out the side in the second and another couple K's in the third to give him seven batters fanned in just three innings of work. 

In the bottom of third, 2B Nick Miller got the Miller bats going with an infield single. Sam Wides dropped down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Miller to second. Noblesville got on the board when freshman CF Brian McLean roped a single to center field, scoring Miller from third to tie the game at 1-1. 

Junior Mike Speek took the mound for Noblesville in the fourth. After walking his first hitter, Joseph Ross, Speek forced Dallas Hovey to pop out to Nevin Fansher in foul territory. Andy Maggart hit a soft liner to Nick Miller at second. Miller leaped to make the catch for the second out and then caught Ross leading off first base and doubled up Ross to end the inning with a double play. 

Speek seemed to be in a groove to start the fifth, but only briefly. Striking out DH Jared Kirtlan and Hunter Wells flying out to right in the first two at-bats, Speek was comfortable. Adam Roser dropped a single over third base and between third baseman Garrett Christman, shortstop Nick Vallier and L Garrett Welch. Tanner Chamberlain reached with an infield single, giving the Norsemen two aboard. Catcher Andy Roser was in control, up with a 2-0 count. Roser took a 2-0 pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run, extending Northfield's lead to 4-1 through five. 

Miller junior reliever Tyler Chapman took the hill after Andrew Waldon laid down a perfect bunt halfway down the third base line off Speek. Chapman struck out three in his 2 1/3 innings of work, keeping the Northfield bats in check.

Noblesville started a two out rally in the sixth. Garrett Welch smoked a single to center. DH Mike Nichols smacked a double over the head of Tanner Chamberlain in center, scoring Welch and closing the Norsemen lead to 4-2.

The Miller bats were back at it for one final shot in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch hitter Luke Porter led off with a single to left. Justin Holloway pinch hit for Wides and walked for two on for Noblesville. Fansher K'd on three straight pitches. Brian McLean drilled a single to center, scoring Porter, making the score 4-3 with Northfield still in front. With a 2-2 count, Nick Vallier hit a ball in the infield to short for a force out at second, Vallier was safe with a fielder's choice at first. Wides, came back in to run for Holloway, who pinch hit for him. Wides tried scoring from second on the Vallier hit. Sliding head first into home, Wides slid his left hand to the back side of the plate, trying to avoid the tag. Wides was called out on the play and the ballgame was over.

Quite the dramatic finish to Tuesday's home opener, but the Millers fell to the 2A #3 Northfield Norsemen, 4-3.

The loss drops Noblesville to 1-1 on the new season. Senior Garrett Welch and freshman Brian McLean were the Noblesville bright spots at the plate. With each going 2-for-3, Welch had a double and McLean two RBI's, both in their varsity debuts. Despite only three innings of work, starter Taran Murphy struck out 7 batters and allowed just two hits to his credit. 

Noblesville has a lot of inexperience at the varsity level, but with 13 seniors on the roster in 2012, there is a lot of leadership to help Coach Justin Keever's team.

This Saturday is the Noblesville Classic. The Millers play Homestead at 11 a.m. Game 2 is Chicago's De La Salle vs. Cincinnati Moeller at around 1:30. The consolation game will be played at 4 pm, followed by the Noblesville Classic championship game at around 6:30 pm.  

Irish escape South Florida in Big East quarters, 57-53 in OT. Seven-seeded Louisville next for 3-seed Notre Dame

In the Big East quarterfinal night cap on Thursday, Notre Dame knew that it would face a pretty feisty South Florida Bulls squad. This was honestly a true battle of two teams that have learned to succeed through running the "Burn Offense." For those of you who aren't familiar with this style, it's very simple. With the Burn Offense, that particular team slows the tempo of the game down so that their opponent cannot succeed on defense, while using a majority of the shot clock and keeping the control of the game in their hands. It caters to their offense getting exactly what it wants and the defense being stymied because it completely throws off their game plan.

Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, you just had a feeling that #23 Notre Dame was going to do whatever it had to do possible to get the win and advance to play Louisville in the Semifinals Friday night.

Neither team shot anything close to good. South Florida shot 38% and Notre Dame 39%. The two matched each others' three-point shooting, with the Bulls shooting 8-17 (47%) and the Irish knocking down 8-16 (50%).

Up by a narrow 28-26 halftime lead, Notre Dame tried to do what it could to pull away, but there's no pulling away from this USF team. The Bulls outdueld the Irish 19-17 in the 2nd half to knot things at 45-45 to take this Big East tilt into overtime.

The leadership of sophomore Eric Atkins showed up big in the overtime frame. Atkins scored all 6 of his points in overtime, but he does much more than score for Notre Dame. The Irish point guard also grabbed four rebounds, dished out six assists and nabbed a couple of steals. If he's not scoring, that's exactly what you want out of your point guard!

If you want my honest opinion, there should have been an over-the-back foul called on USF's Augustus Gilchrist when ND's Jack Cooley grabbed a rebound in the waining seconds of regulation. The call was a jump ball and we headed to overtime. I think it really only motivated the Irish to dial it up a notch in the extra period.

That said, Notre Dame took the overtime 12-8 and won the quarterfinal 57-53. Tonight (Friday), the 3rd seed Irish play in the 2nd Big East semifinal against 7-seed Louisville. Notre Dame won the regular season meeting at Louisville, 67-65 in double overtime.

Freshmen Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant led Notre Dame with 12 points a piece in a very shared offensive effort for the Irish. Scott Martin notched a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Somewhat of a quiet night for center Jack Cooley with 9 points and 3 blocks (just one rebound). Eric Atkins filled up his stat line with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals to his credit. Alex Dragicevich dropped in 8 points (2-2 on 3's) off the bench. Tom Knight also spelled Cooley well during his time off the bench, grabbing two rebounds.

St. John's snaps #18 Notre Dame's 9-game winning streak at MSG, 61-58

I knew it would happen. I had a bad feeling when I woke up this morning about the front end of this east coast Big East weekend wrap-around road trip for the Fighting Irish and I should have put my money where my thoughts were. Notre Dame's nine-game winning streak came to a hault on Saturday at New York's Madison Square Garden to the St. John's Red Storm, 61-58.

Notre Dame shot poorly throughout the game and it honestly haunted them and kept the Irish from fully overtaking the Red Storm in the second half. ND reverted to their old style of basketball, living and dying by the three, where they were 4-of-31 (13%) in Saturday's game at Madison Square Garden. St. John's, however, was a little more picky when it came to their three-point shot selection (3-for-11), but still only shot 27% from outside the arc.

The homestanding Red Storm outrebounded Notre Dame 34-29 and capitalized when it needed to down the stretch to keep the Irish from taking the lead and extending their winning streak to ten games. If Notre Dame would have been able to keep up with St. John's in transition and stop them on fast breaks, it could have been the difference and a factor that may have helped Mike Brey's team get a huge road win at MSG. Instead, SJU had 13 fast break points to Notre Dame's 4, an obvious difference in the game's outcome.

A group of five freshmen start and lead the way for St. John's. It's something that's unheard of in college basketball or any sport, for that matter. Moe Harkless (18 points, 9 rebounds), D'Angelo Harrison (15 points), Amir Garrett (11 points), God'sgift Achuiwa (5 points, 6 rebounds, and yes, that's his real first name!) and Sir'Dominic Pointer (4 points, 8 rebounds) are five of the six that contribute to the Red Storm on a normal basis. They don't have much depth at all, one bench player saw the floor today. The win moves them to 13-16 (6-10 Big East) and they also have good program wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia.

Notre Dame was led by both Scott Martin and Jack Cooley, who dropped in 18 points a piece. The two also combined for 17 of the Irish's 29 rebounds and also 16-of-24 from the floor between them. Unfortunately, they didn't received enough help from their teammates to make a difference in their bid for a comeback win. Pat Connaughton, Alex Dragicevich, Eric Atkins, Jerian Grant and Tom Knight produced the other 22 Notre Dame points. The Irish only turned the ball over 7 times, compared to 16 turnover for St. John's. Notre Dame also seemed a little tenative on the offensive end as well. They were only 4-of-7 from the charity stripe, while St. John's was 14-21 from the foul line.

This game was hopefully a wakeup call for Brey and the Irish. They will play Monday at #11 Georgetown (21-6, 11-5 Big East) at 7 p.m. Georgetown might be ranked eleventh, but they are one of the more overrated teams this season in college basketball, to be honest, they usually are. Senior Night for Notre Dame is next Friday vs. Providence (14-15, 3-13 Big East). Those games are a great way to tune up for the upcoming Big East Tournament that will be back at Madison Square Garden.

The Irish (20-9, 12-4 Big East) have themselves in a great spot. They were picked to be 9th in the Big East this year and were pretty much considered a losing team when they lost sharp-shooting Tim Abromaitis in the sixth game of the year. They've proved critics wrong and will continue to do so, as long as the media keeps stacking the deck against them and making them the odds-on underdog.

Irish win school-record 9th Big East game in a row, scorch West Virginia, 71-44

On Wednesday night at the Joyce Center at Purcell Pavilion, the #18 Notre Dame men’s basketball team had one thing in mind. Winning and doing whatever it took to do it. Playing at home, where they’re now 15-1 on the year was a big help.

The Irish led by just two at halftime, 30-28. Mike Brey’s team shot 60% in the 2^nd half and held the Mountaineers in check, outscoring them in the second frame 41-16, for an eventual blowout, 71-44.

Jerian Grant led all scorers with a game-high 20 points, knocking down 4-of-5 from the three-point arc. Scott Martin also lit up the nets, hitting on 3-of-4 treys for 15 points. Jack Cooley was a force that propelled Notre Dame to its first leads in the first half and wound up with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Eric Atkins did his job as the point guard and filled up his line of the stat sheet. The sophomore captain tallied 13 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals to his credit. Alex Dragicevich chipped in 8 points in 20 minutes off the bench, drilling a couple 3’s of his own. Pat Connaughton hasn’t been scoring much lately, but that doesn’t really seem to matter, with others picking up his share when defenses keep the freshman from scoring. Connaughton did, however, grab 5 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and had 2 of Notre Dame’s six team steals.

The visiting Mountaineers were stymied by the Irish defense shooting 17-for-54 (31.5%) overall and were even colder from three-point range going 1-11 (9.1%). Seniors Kevin Jones and Darryl “Truck” Bryant were the only two to reach double-figures for WVU. Jones led West Virginia with 15 points and 8 rebounds (5 offensive) and Bryant with 10 points, 3 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. Those two seniors had very little help elsewhere, with Deniz Kilicli tossing up four of his unorthodox style hook shots for 8 points. The loss dropped Bob Huggins’ squad to 17-11 overall and 7-8 in the Big East.

Things keep looking better for Notre Dame…

Team concept is what this team is doing to keep winning games. It doesn’t matter who leads the Irish in each stat category night in and night out. It matters that they do whatever it takes to win and win at all costs. This Notre Dame team was considered out of any post-season play when leading scorer Tim Abromaitis was sidelined with a torn ACL in the second half of ND’s match-up with Georgia in the consolation game of the Progressive CBE Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. With Abro out for the season in just his second game back from a four-game suspension, Notre Dame was said to be falling to the bottom half of the Big East, with no hope at all. 

Clicking on all cylinders, Notre Dame is now 20-8 overall and 12-3 in Big East play. They’re now tied for second in the Big East with Marquette. If the regular season ended after tonight’s game, Notre Dame would be the #2 seed and have a double-bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament (March 6-10) at New York’s Madison Square Garden. They hold the tiebreaker over Marquette from the Irish’s dominating win in South Bend a couple weeks ago, 76-59 over the Golden Eagles.

Notre Dame has a very good chance at finishing the regular season on a 12-game winning streak, if they can win both games of a wrap-around road trip this coming weekend and next Friday’s final home game of the season against a struggling Providence team.

St. John’s (12-16, 5-10 Big East) could turn into a “trap game” this Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Hopefully the Red Storm doesn’t catch the Irish off-guard. I’m guessing that Notre Dame will show up and win for their tenth in a row in a preparation game for the Big East Tournament in a week and a half.

More than likely, #8 Georgetown (20-6, 10-5 Big East) will drop out of the Top 10. They lost Monday night at Seton Hall, 72-55. Georgetown is the most overrated team in college basketball, not just this season, but most years this is the case. They’re like a “flash in the pan” kind of team. They have two or three players that contribute on a consistent basis, but the Hoyas won’t make any noise in the NCAA Tournament.

Providence College (13-15, 2-13 Big East) has struggled in Big East play for quite some time. This could be looked at as another “trap” game for the Irish. Odds of this happening are probably pretty small, considering that this is the final home game of the season and for fifth-year senior Scott Martin.

Time will tell what Notre Dame’s fate will be for the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. They’ve defied the odds that have been placed against them thus far. What says they can’t keep this pace going? With the way that Mike Brey’s team has been playing, it looks like a great possibility that we could see them shock the college basketball world during the month of March. Brey also won National Coach of the Year honors last season for his third of that award in 11 seasons. At this point in the season, there really isn't another coach in Division I basketball that deserves the award as much as the Irish head coach does. It would be remarkable if he earned his second in a row and fourth in 12 seasons at Notre Dame.

Irish Eyes are Smiling with Roster Additions and a great 2012 outlook!

Four roster additions (below)...
All attention has been directed toward the four newest members of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, but yet, there are still 15 days until National Signing Day on Thursday, February 2.

ESPNU 150's #2 ranked QB Gunner Kiel (6'4, 220 lbs.) DL Sheldon Day (6'2, 286 lbs.), DB Tee Shepard (6'1, 186 lbs.) and RB Amir Carlisle (5'10, 180 lbs.) have all made early-enrollment committments to the University of Notre Dame to continue their academic and athletic careers.

Gunner Kiel (Columbus, IN/Columbus East), is the more highly touted of the four. He is the 2011 Indiana Mr. Football and Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year. This is all brand new news of Gunner's enrollment on campus in South Bend. Before the start of his senior season in 2011, he had committed to play for new head coach Kevin Wilson at Indiana University, where older brother Dusty started his college career. After de-committing to Indiana, Kiel recently spurned National Runner-Up LSU to enroll at Notre Dame today (Tuesday, January 17).

Sheldon Day (Indianapolis, IN/Warren Central) is a 2nd team All-American as chosen by Sports Illustrated. Was named the Indianapolis Star Super Team Player of the Year and the 2011 Indiana Mr. Football Runner-up to future teammate Gunner Kiel. Day helped Warren Central to a high national ranking and was 11-1, with their only loss coming in the 5A Sectional 9 championship game at eventual 5A State Champion Carmel.

Tee Shepard (Fresno, CA/Washington Union) is rated the 3rd best cornerback by scout.com and the 36-ranked player in the nation by maxpreps.com and scout Tom Lemming. After he transferred high schools, Shepard was required to sit out his senior season.

Amir Carlisle (Santa Clara, CA/Kings Academy/USC) has recently transferred to Notre Dame from the University of Southern California, one of the Irish's biggest rivals. He will be a great addition to the offensive backfield. Carlisle saw spotty playing time in 8 games during the 2011 season for the Trojans, so it is unsure if he'll be eligible for the start of the 2012 season. He came to USC as a Parade magazine and Super Prep All-American, gaining 2,110 and scoring 28 TD's as a senior at Kings Academy in Santa Clara. He finished his Kings Academy with 5,108 rushing yards and 73 rushing TD's in just 28 high school games.

2012 outlook for who the Irish have coming back...
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Tommy Rees (JR)
Andrew Hendrix (SO)
Everett Golson (SO)
Gunner Kiel (FR)

Running Back
Cierre Wood (SR)
Theo Riddick (SR)
George Atkinson III (SO)
Amir Carlisle (FR)
Cam McDaniel (SO)

Wide Receiver (Flanker)
Deontay Greenberry (FR)
John Goodman (5th)

Wide Receiver (Split End)
T.J. Jones (JR)
Daniel Smith (JR)
Luke Massa (JR)

Wide Receiver (Slot)
Robby Toma (SR)
DeVaris Daniels (SO)

Tight End
Tyler Eifert (SR)
Ben Koyack (SO)
Alex Welch (JR)

Left Tackle
Zach Martin (SR)
Nick Martin (SO)

Left Guard
Chris Watt (SR)
Tate Nichols (JR)

Center
Braxton Cave (5th)
Mike Golic, Jr. (5th)

Right Guard
Conor Hanratty (SO)
Brad Carrico (SO)

Right Tackle
Christian Lombard (JR)
Jordan Prestwood (SO)

Punter
Ben Turk (SR)

Kicker
Kyle Brindza - kickoffs (SO)
Nick Tausch - PAT/FG (SR)

Punt Returner
Theo Riddick (SR)

Kick Returner
George Atkinson III (SO)

DEFENSE
Defensive End
Stephon Tuitt (SO)
Kapron Lewis-Moore (5th)

Nose Tackle
Louis Nix III (SO)
Sheldon Day (FR)
Sean Cwyner (SR)

Defensive End
Aaron Lynch (SO)
Kona Schwenke (JR)

Outside Linebacker
Prince Shembo (JR)
Danny Spond (JR)
Troy Niklas (SO)

Inside Linebacker
Manti Te'o (SR)
Kendall Moore (JR)

Inside Linebacker
Carlo Calabrese (SR)
Dan Fox (SR)

Outside Linebacker
Ishaq Williams (SO)
Ben Councell (SO)

Cornerback
Bennett Jackson (JR)
Tee Shepard (FR)
Josh Atkinson (SO)

Strong Safety
Jamoris Slaughter (5th)
Austin Collinsworth (JR)

Free Safety
Zeke Motta (SR)
Dan McCarthy (5th)

Cornerback
Lo Wood (JR)
Jalen Brown (SO)

NFL after Week 15: Wild Cards are up for grabs...

NFC Playoff Picture

The NFC playoff picture is only half-painted as of the end of Week 15. Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco, who have won the North, South and West, respectively, are the only three NFC teams that have clinched playoff spots. Atlanta (9-5) and Detroit (9-5) are currently the fifth and sixth seeds, but both must win out to keep themselves in as the Wild Cards in the NFC.

Here is the current NFC playoff picture:
#1 Green Bay 13-1 (NFC North champs)
#2 New Orleans 11-3 (NFC South champs)
#3 San Francisco 11-3 (NFC West champs)
#4 Dallas 8-6
>>Cowboys host  Eagles in Week 16 and are at the Giants in Week 17. If the Cowboys win out, they'll keep the #4 seed with a 10-6 record, knocking both the Eagles and Giants completely out of playoff contention.
#5 Atlanta 9-5 have sealed up the fifth seed with their convincing 41-14 win over the Jaguars last Thursday.
#6 Detroit 9-5
>>The Lions all but have their playoff fate decided. They made a big push toward their first playoff berth since 1999 on Sunday with a comeback win at Oakland, 28-27. It was a much-needed road win for Detroit. Just to be safe, Detroit needs to at least get a Week 16 win over San Diego at home. A Week 17 win at Green Bay isn't fully out of the question, but a loss would give the Lions a 10-6 mark and solidify the #6 seed and a first round playoff matchup at San Francisco.

Others vying for NFC Wild Card playoff spots...
Seattle Seahawks (7-7): The Seahawks helped themselves and hindered the Chicago Bears' chances at a Wild Card with their dominating 38-14 road win at Soldier Field in Chicago. Detroit would have to lose out to the Chargers and Packers to allow Seattle to slip in as the #6 seed. Pete Carroll's club would have to win at home vs. the 49ers this week (Week 16) and a Week 17 win on the road at Arizona. They could upset San Fran this weekend and possibly get a big W at Arizona to close out the regular season.

Chicago Bears (7-7): The last four weeks have really put the Bears in a position where they more than likely will not make the 2011 playoffs. By losing at Oakland (25-20), to Kansas City at home (10-3), at Denver (13-10 in overtime) and to Seattle at home 38-14, Chicago is one of four teams on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in. Jay Cutler's injury to his thumb on his throwing hand, forcing backup Caleb Hanie to start, has really put the Bears in a bind offensively. He's a mediocre backup who could really use Matt Forte not being sidelined with a season-ending injury as well.

New York Giants (7-7): The Giants could be in a good spot or find themselves in the same situation that the Bears are, on the outside looking in. Coughlin's boys are 1-4 in their last five games, losing to Philly, the Saints, Packers, beating the Cowboys on the road and losing Week 16 at home to Washington 23-10. The pressure was sure on New York with Dallas winning on the road at Tampa Bay 38-15 Saturday. Eli Manning has really played his heart out this whole season, but it might be pushed to the wayside and forgotten about if the Giants lose to the Jets at "home" this Sunday and/or win at home over Dallas in Week 17. The only advantage that they have here is that both games are technically at home, since they share Met Life Stadium with the New York Jets, formerly known as The Meadowlands.

Arizona Cardinals (7-7): The Cardinals have snuck up on the Wild Card fight, but might have a tough chance to have a fighting chance. This Saturday, on Christmas Eve, Arizona hits the road for a playoff-type test, playing AFC Wild Card-hopeful Cincinnati. In their final regular season game, they'll try to keep Seattle out of the Wild Card hunt, hosting the Seahawks. The only chance that Arizona has to be the 6-seed in the NFC playoffs is winning their final two regular season games and Detroit, Chicago, Seattle and the Giants all losing their final two games. I just honestly don't see all four of those teams losing out and the Cardinals sneaking in, especially with John Skelton under center, despite him having a 4-1 record as a starter in place of injured Kevin Kolb.

Philadelphia Eagles (6-8): I can't believe that they're even talking about the Eagles' playoff chances, but because of what happened Sunday with the Giants losing, Philadelphia has been thrown into the playoff mix talks. At 6-8, they're more of a far cry, but there are some scenarios that could help bump them into the playoffs, shocking the football world, after the 3-6 start that they've had so far. This week they head to Dallas and will try to steal a game from the Cowboys. Week 17, they'll host the Redskins, who aren't about to allow the Eagles to enter the playoffs in this manner. But, like I said above, it is more than likely not going to happen for Andy Reid's team. Even if they beat Dallas this week and Dallas loses at the Giants, New York would have to lose this Saturday to the Jets.

It can still happen, but chances are looking dim, but time will tell and we'll know this weekend a little better idea of what's going on with the NFC.

How I think the NFC playoff picture will look:
1- Green Bay Packers (15-1)
2- New Orleans Saints (13-3)
3- San Francisco 49ers (13-3)
4- New York Giants (9-7)**
5- Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
6- Dallas Cowboys (9-7)**
**I predict that Dallas will beat the Eagles and Giants will beat the Jets in Week 16 and I also think that the Giants will take the NFC East in Week 17 with a home win over the Cowboys.

The AFC Playoff Picture

It didn't seem like it for most of the season, but New England will most likely finish the regular season at 13-3 and the one-seed in the AFC playoffs. Baltimore just swapped Pittsburgh seeds after the Steelers' Monday Night Football embarassment at San Francisco 20-3 evened both at 10-4. Baltimore holds the tie-breaker over Pittsburgh by sweeping the season series. Houston won its first ever AFC South division title with a 10-4 record. They'll face Indianapolis this Thursday on the road in prime time and host Tennessee in Week 17 to try and finish a perfect 6-0 in the division. Currently, Denver leads the AFC West with an 8-6 record, but that could very well change in the final two weeks of the regular season. That all said, the first five playoff spots are taken and it's going to be a dogfight for the sixth, literally.

Here is the current AFC playoff picture:

#1 New England 13-3 (AFC East champs)

#2 Baltimore Ravens 10-4 (lead AFC North)

#3 Houston Texans 10-4 (AFC South champs)

#4 Denver Broncos 8-6 (lead AFC West)

#5 Pittsburgh Steelers 10-4

#6 New York Jets 8-6 (wins tiebreaker over Bengals, because of better win % in common games)

>>The Jets control their playoff destiny, but that is one of the more cliche` phrases at this time of the year and it is the honest truth. The have a tough home game against the Giants, whom they share their stadium with in New Jersey. It's a game that could go either way. I think they'll lose this game, but win Week 17 at Miami, in what I consider a "trap game" and a tough road test for Rex Ryan's squad. Miami could play the spoiler role and beat the Jets. There's no reason why this can't happen to the Jets. The Dolphins have won three of five, including two wins over Buffalo and a key win over playoff-hopeful Oakland. My take on the Jets: they will back into the playoffs with a 9-7 record, losing this week to the Giants and winning on the road at Miami.

Other vying for AFC  Wild Card playoff spots...

Cincinnati Bengals (8-6): The Bengals would have to beat a surging Arizona Cardinal team this Saturday and AFC North leader Baltimore at home Week 17. This won't be an easy task at all. John Skelton has a record of 4-1 in the Cardinals' last five games. Baltimore is reeling just a little bit with their surprising 34-14 drubbing at upbeat San Diego this past week. The Ravens will probably take out their frustrations on the Browns at home this week and clinch the AFC North for sure Week 17 at Cincinnati, keeping the Bengals out of playoff contention.

Tennessee Titans (7-7): The Titans could have lost out on their chances at at Wild Card spot this past weekend. The Indianapolis Colts shocked the football world by earning their first victory of the season over Tennessee 27-13 Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. They had an outside chance before this loss to the one-win Colts, but now those thoughts are dwindling away. There's a small chance for a Wild Card berth with wins in their final two games vs. Jacksonville and at Houston. The Texans have already clinched the North, but would probably rather keep the Titans out of the playoffs really.

Oakland Raiders (7-7): Oakland could have also played itself out of playoff contention, like the Titans, with their loss at home Sunday to Detroit, 28-27. Like every other team that is trying to make the playoffs, the Raiders are going to be throwing the kitchen sink at their final two opponents of 2011. They head to Kansas City for a big road test this week and host San Diego the following week. The Chiefs spoiled the Green Bay Packers' quest for a perfect season with their 19-14 win at home vs. the World Champion Packers. KC might still have that spoiler mentality this week when Oakland comes to Arrowhead. I honestly seed the Raiders finishing 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Carson Palmer is good, but he came to the team a little too late to totally change the offensive and overall dynamic of the great, late Al Davis' storied franchise.

San Diego Chargers (7-7): Norv Turner is literally coaching for his job every week. His Chargers are 3-2 in the past five games, including winners of three straight at Jacksonville, at home against Buffalo and thwarting the Ravens 34-14 this past Sunday night. It might not be too late to have the playoff push that they're having. Phillip Rivers is the QB of my fantasy football team that will probably win the playoffs for me and the league as a whole. Granted, it has very little to do with Rivers' success trying to guide his team into the postseason, but it was worth giving my fantasy football team a little plug.

Kansas City Chiefs (6-8): The Chiefs are the last team that people expected to end the Green Bay Packers' 19-game winning streak. They didn't care on Sunday and it showed on Sunday with a 19-14 upset of Green Bay and their perfect season. Incoming, are the talks of Kansas City still being in the hunt for the playoffs...WHAT??? There are still some big factors that would have to help the Chiefs stun the NFL and make the playoffs. All they have to do is win at home against Oakland this week and win Week 17 at Denver and AFC West-leading Tim Tebow's Broncos. Tough task? You bet! Will they do it? It's very possible, but it would take a pretty good two game span from newly starting QB Kyle Orton. Orton is new to the Chiefs' system, but not new to winning, as he went 21-12 with the Bears from 2005-08. He waasn't so good in Denver with a 12-21 stint in two-plus season. He's 1-0 in Kansas City and that one win was against the formerly 13-0 Packers...

Here is how I think the AFC playoff picture will look...

1- New England Patriots (13-3)

2- Baltimore Ravens (12-4)**

3- Houston Texans (11-5)

4- Denver Broncos (9-7)

5- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)**

6- New York Jets (9-7)

**Baltimore won the season series over Pittsburgh, which propelled them from the fifth to second seed.

As much as I'm not a fan of Tim Tebow, all he has to do is win at Buffalo and at home versus Kansas City. Yes, two tough games, despite those teams' records, but if he can win one of those games, they're in the playoffs and the media treats him more like the hero that he already is to the city of Denver.

Check back to my blog the first week in January for more on the NFL playoffs and how I'll pick those to come out.

Indiana Hoosier basketball fans are fully out of the woodwork...and very well should be

Indiana basketball fans finally decided to come out of the woodwork and be fans of their historic basketball program once again. There are too many proclaimed Indiana fans that haven't really been fans through the tough times the program has been through in recent seasons. It all has come to a complete head this past Saturday night in Bloomington with then-#1 ranked Kentucky in town.

Hoosier basketball fans haven't really been the support group that a program needs in times that they've had, especially the three seasons before this 2011-12 campaign that we're well into now. 

Indiana basketball fans were never a fan of former head coach Mike Davis and how he coached the Hoosiers. That was quite evident during his tenure in Bloomington. Davis made four NCAA Tournament appearances in his six seasons at IU. His biggest highlight at the helm of the Hoosiers was guiding the 2001-02 team to a National Runner-up finish, falling just short to Maryland in the National Championship game, 64-52.  Coach Davis was 114-79, winning just 59% of his games at IU. The one big problem that I, and most IU fans have with that season, is that Davis blazed the NCAA Tournament trail looking like a great coach. What he was doing, was winning games with Bob Knight's recruits. The players that made a difference during that NCAA Tournament run were all brought in by Knight, so Indiana fans really don't give that much credit to Davis. It could go either way really. Knight's players and Davis' coaching both almost added up to Indiana's 6th National Championship in the university's history. It was quite a feat for Davis, who was in his second year as head coach at IU.

After Davis was let go after his 2nd Round NCAA exit to Gonzago (90-80), despite going 19-12, former Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson was brought in to hopefully get the Hoosiers over the hump.

Sampson's hiring was questioned from the get-go by the board of trustees, fans, students and the world of college basketball. He had been reported to have made 611 illegal phone calls to basketball recruits while coaching the Sooners. Those violations were reported to the NCAA and they followed Sampson to Bloomington. Though he was a successful coach in his brief stint coaching the Hoosiers to a 46-19 record, he got no further than the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament in those two seasons. Sampson exits after the 2007-08 season, despite a 25-8 record.

Enter Tom Crean. Most IU fans that I know have actually given Tom Crean a fair shot without criticizing his recruiting too much. Hoosiers are giving Crean a chance to "bring in his players" to help bring Indiana basketball back to the dominance that it once had. Crean came from Marquette University in Milwaukee. His highlighted moment as head coach of the Golden Eagles was leading them to the 2003 NCAA Final Four. Dwyane Wade was the star on that team for Crean.

Crean has done what it takes to start a basketball program over from scratch. Here's a quick look at IU's previous three seasons before this current undefeated start:
2008-09: 6-25
2009-10: 10-21
2010-11: 12-20

Just by looking at the records, his teams have made only slight improvements in his first three years. The administration at Indiana University has been very patient and I think they're figuring out that patience is a virtue and it's starting to pay off for their basketball program.

Let me get this out there. I am not an Indiana fan. I grew up a Notre Dame fan. I'll admit it as a college basketball junkie that I was pretty skeptical about this past Saturday's game against #1 Kentucky. Only a couple minutes into the game, it was obvious that Indiana wasn't going to lose. I give them full credit for continuing their pursuit to defeat #1 and make the college basketball nation realize that these Hoosiers were for real.

Prior to Saturday's upset of #1 Kentucky, Indiana's schedule wasn't highlighted with too many marquee opponents to start the young season. Before the season started, a Sunday night matchup on Thanksgiving weekend with back-to-back defending National Runner-up Butler looked like a much bigger game on the slate. Butler lost two of it's stars, guard Shelvin Mack and forward Matt Howard, to the NBA during the off-season. Their first big road test was at North Carolina State in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, taking down the host Wolfpack, 86-75.

Scheduling teams like Stony Brook, Chattanooga, Evansville, Savannah State, Gardner-Webb,  Stetson, Howard and Maryland-Baltimore County aren't really going to help that much when it comes time to start the Big Ten conference schedule after Christmas. There's nothing like a true road test than heading to East Lansing to play Michigan State at the Breslin Center.

The next test for Indiana shouldn't be that tough. I'm going to be embarassed how badly IU will beat my Notre Dame Fighting Irish this Saturday. The two will play in the second game of the "Close the Gap: Crossroads Classic" at Conseco Fieldhouse. Purdue and Butler square off at 2 p.m., followed by the Hoosiers and Irish at 4:30 p.m.

Indiana is a team that's just deep enough and could get deeper if need be throughout the season. With a starting lineup of guards Jordan Hulls (11.2 pts, 52.9% on 3's), Verdell Jones III (50% on 3's) and Victor Oladipo (12.3 pts), Christian Watford (11.4 pts, 48.1% on 3's) and freshman phenom Cody Zeller (15 pts, 7.4 reb, 65.8 FG's) man the frontcourt. Will Sheehey just might be one of, if not, the best sixth men in the country. Daniel Moore, Derek Elston, Tom Pritchard and Matt Roth also provide plenty of depth.

Crean's squad entered the Top 25 for the first time in quite a while this week at #18 in the Associated Press poll and #20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.

Things are on the rise for Indiana basketball. This is a great thing for IU, the Big Ten conference and college basketball as a whole. Such a storied program deserves to be back at the top of its game and be a headline again. Tom Crean is 9-0 here in 2011-12, but began his journey as the IU head coach with a three-year record of 28-66. 

As big of a college basketball fan that I am, I can honestly say that I'm glad to see Indiana back to their winning ways. I wish that Notre Dame could pull off the upset this Saturday at Conseco Fieldhouse, but the odds of that are pretty small. Notre Dame has no one to matchup with Zeller and the Hoosiers' quickness overall might stymie the Irish and turn the game into a straight up blowout, unfortunately. 

To all of my friends that are IU fans and graduates, you all should be proud of what you witnessed Saturday for 40 minutes of basketball. Your hearts were pounding as Verdell Jones III drove just inside the three-point arc and dished to Christian Watford. Watford sails a three from the left wing with 0.7 left, erupting the Assembly Hall. Game, Hoosiers. Indiana 73, #1 Kentucky 72.