Back On Track?

The Georgetown Hoyas are seemingly back on track, currently sporting a five-game winning streak, with all of those wins having come against Big East teams. In the past 72 hours, the Hoyas, have defeated two Big East monsters in then 7th ranked Villanova and 13th ranked Louisville, on the road and at home respectively. Both wins were nail-biters that went down to the wire. It seems that this Hoya team has finally regained its footing after a dismal few weeks that began with a 69-55 rout suffered at the hands of Notre Dame on December 29 and thankfully for Georgetown faithful culminated with an embarrassing 72-57 loss to Pitt on January 12.

The Hoyas are far from being out of the thick of things yet; it is a widely-known fact that when you are a college basketball team in the Big East there are no lulls in the season and no gimme-wins, exemplified by the fact that there are currently eight Big East teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.

The next two games for Georgetown will be against Providence and Syracuse, teams that have struggled as of late. Providence has been a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde team all year long; after starting out 12-2, the Friars withered away when conference play began, losing its first six conference games. The Friars then went on to beat none other than Louisville and Villanova (both at home), but then lost to Seton Hall this past Sunday. A young team, the Friars have only three seniors on their entire squad - only one of which plays with any regularity - while the rest of the team is made up of freshmen and sophomores. This team has had its bright spots, but overall should not be much of a problem for the Hoyas since the team is 1-7 on the road this year.

As usual, the Syracuse Orange will most likely prove to be a worthy opponent, especially since the game will be played at the Carrier Dome. Of course, it is tough not to mention (especially being a Georgetown fan) that as of late, the Orange are sporting a four game losing streak, after starting off the year with an 18 game winning streak. Although the first two losses were to Pittsburgh and Villanova, the two more recent games have been dreadful, the third loss being a 90-68 shellacking at the hands of Seton Hall and the most recent being a six point loss to Marquette. With their next two games on the road at UConn and USF, the Orange could come out flat against the Hoyas next Wednesday, but with a coach like Jim Boeheim, it is very unlikely that this losing streak will last too long. Georgetown just has to hope that they don't catch Syracuse when they are regaining their confidence, and looking to beat their rival at home after a road trip.

After a disappointing couple of weeks, the Hoyas finally seem back to where many expected to be before the season. The St. John's game last Wednesday saw Jason Clark go back to normal as he dropped 16 points, and helped the entire team re-assert its power in a 77-52 beat-down. The Villanova game saw Austin Freeman's return to power, as he dropped 30 points en route to a much needed victory. Finally, the last game against Louisville was Chris Wright's re-emergence back onto the scene; Wright had 24 points after a scoreless game against Villanova.

The "Big Three" of Freeman, Wright and Clark appears to be back to where it needs to be for this team to be consistently good. But, in addition to the Big Three producing each game, role players have to be able find a niche on the team in order for Georgetown to have continued success. Hollis Thompson has found a role that suits him very well as the sixth man, coming off the bench the last few games to contribute key three pointers. After an uninspired few games, Julian Vaughn has finally gotten back to his game, pulling down rebounds, playing tough defense down low and contributing points off of the hook shot he has refined for the past two seasons.

Of course, the freshmen cannot be overlooked. Nate Lubick has been praised constantly for his toughness by play-by-play announcers this season and has emerged as the starting power forward over Hollis Thompson. Although his numbers have not been outstanding, Lubick is learning how to maneuver better down low both on offense and defense, and will soon be a force to be reckoned with. Another freshman, Markel Starks is thriving in his role as backup point guard and seems prepared to become Chris Wright's successor next year. Like Lubick, his stats are not great, but it is clear that he is learning the trade and quickly seizing the role of floor general whenever he gets the chance to hit the court.

Still, the Hoyas have some problems that need to be fixed. The team's wins this season have always come on the backs of individuals instead of the whole team. It either seems to be Austin Freeman or Chris Wright or Jason Clark making up for another teammate's dismal performance. If this team wants to be a serious contender, the big three especially need to bring their A-game every game instead of just a handful of them.

In each of the last two wins, the Hoyas have not been close to exemplary. In the game against Villanova the whole team had to constantly rely on Freeman, and at times Clark to bail them out, escaping with only a three point victory. The game against Louisville was even worse; in an extremely sloppy victory in which Georgetown turned the ball over 16 times (the same amount as Louisville), the Hoyas did not play their slow, patient style of basketball, playing right into the hands of Louisville by getting into a track meet. Many of their possessions ended with ill-advised passes and shots. Although they were able to get points off the fast break, especially when Chris Wright had the ball, many of those points came off of Louisville's own turnovers, which were caused only in part by Georgetown's defense and mostly by Louisville's poor play; many of those fast-break points also often led to Louisville responding with open three-point attempts. In another three-point victory, the Hoyas were far from being Top 10 material.

With no single dominant team in the Big East, Georgetown looks primed to work their way up the ranks if they can clean up their play and get everyone on the same page. The talent is there, the Hoyas just need to be able to put it together more consistently.

The Forgotten Falcons

Today, I'm all about loving the Falcons.

You know? The 2010 NFC South champions/NFC regular season champs/team with the second best record in the NFL. In an AFC-dominated league, the Falcons have not gotten much respect this year, staying in the shadows of teams like the Patriots, Jets, Steelers, Ravens, and even the team that they beat out in their own division, the reigning Super Bowl champ Saints.

The Falcons certainly are not the most exciting team in the NFL. They don't have the loudmouth coach like Rex Ryan, or the genius like Bill Belichick. They don't have the seemingly divine quarterback like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Their defense was only ranked 16th in the league this year. So how the heck was this team the best in the NFC? I mean no one goes 13-3 just because they have an easy schedule, you gotta be good to have that record. So what are these guys doing right?

Look at ESPN.com or SI.com and you probably won't see anything about the Falcons. That is because they do not have guys that attract attention to themselves. Still, they still have some phenomenal players. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are both towards the top of the rankings at their respective positions, Roddy White was arguably the best wide receiver this year, and Tony Gonzalez may just be the best tight end of all time. These guys don't talk much trash and don't get into trouble and so they are therefore rarely in the news. But that does not necessarily mean that they can't compete.

The Falcons will be playing at home against the Packers this weekend and for the AFC Championship Game - should they continue on past this weekend - which spells trouble for opponents. The Falcons' Week 16 loss to the Saints was only Matt Ryan's second loss at home in his entire three-year career at Atlanta, and first home loss in what had been a 15-game winning streak at the Georgia Dome. But that loss could have been good for the Falcons, who probably needed a reality check heading into the playoffs.

The Falcons won't outrun you, but they'll out-muscle you. With a bruising back in Turner, a physical receiver in White, an experienced tight end in Gonzalez and a quarterback with ice in his veins in Ryan (who already has 12 game-winning drives in a three-year career) the Falcons do not have a flashy offense, but they have a strong offense. Guess who led the league in third down conversions this year? The Falcons.

The weakness of this team is the defense. Yet, the D also finds a way to grind its way through games. Despite being ranked 16th in total yards allowed, the defense is ranked fifth best in points allowed. The reason: turnovers. The Falcons D had the fourth most interceptions in the league this season and going up against pass-first teams like Green Bay this round and either Chicago or Seahawks next round, they will surely be ready to force a few turnovers. Rodgers has had rough games this year (including a 20-17 loss to Atlanta earlier this year in which he only had one TD), Cutler can be an interception machine at times, and Hasselbeck had more picks than touchdowns this year, and is, well, old. Plus, you can't forget about good ol' John Abraham, the 32 year old pass rush specialist who recorded 13 sacks this year.

So here's the formula. The Falcons have one of the best offenses in the league this year which includes a clutch quarterback and a great rushing attack, are great on third downs, have a defense that is perfectly suited for its pass-happy opponents, and constantly win at home, where they will be playing throughout the playoffs up until the Super Bowl. Currently they are only three point favorites over the Packers and understandably so, considering the Packers' running game coming alive last week in the win over the Eagles, and because of the Falcons' inexperience, the one knock against this team. Surely, there is no argument that can be made against inexperience; they are a young team, which collectively has spent little time in the playoffs, but they are gritty and strong enough to keep pulling out wins.

The Falcons are my favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Whether they would be able to defeat what would probably be the favored team from the AFC is still yet to be seen, but do not count the Falcons out; they may not be the best, but they certainly have all of the right tools to take down the best.

NCAA: King of the Hypocrites

This week, I'm all about hating the NCAA.

The NCAA is constantly promoting itself as the protector of true sports, emphasizing that unlike professional athletes, their athletes play to win and nothing else. Sadly however, instead of guarding against greed, the NCAA has promoted it, being rightfully criticized for hypocrisy and the inflexibility of its rules over the past decade.

One great example of the NCAA's idiocy took place in Utah. When Utah basketball coach Rick Majerus supposedly took his players out for meals on up to 20 occasions to discuss personal matters in their lives, such as the death of one of his player's fathers and the upcoming mission trip of of another player, the NCAA was there to put the Utes on probation for three years, a period in which they lost three scholarships. Even though each meal only cost about $10 and was a great way for Majerus to get to know his players and promote team unity, the NCAA decided to play the role of the Grinch and punish Utah.

The NCAA has even made its rounds in Georgetown recently; freshman Moses Ayegba was suspended for nine games when the NCAA found that someone who was not a part of his immediate family paid for his plane ticket from Nigeria to the United States. The man who paid for the ticket however, Joseph Boncore, had been one of Ayegba's coaches, was essentially Ayegba's caretaker and had been given authorization by Ayegba's mother to help make decisions for him. The NCAA said it was a no-no though, because God forbid that people try to help one another in times of need.

Of course, had punishing the people involved in the aforementioned situations lost the NCAA money, you could be sure that guys like Majerus and Ayegba would not have been bothered. Just take Ohio State's recent scandal for instance. In late December 2010, five Ohio State Buckeyes including star QB Terrelle Pryor were punished by the NCAA for selling memorabilia including championship rings, jerseys and awards for both money and tattoos. The players were suspended for five games ... next season.

Wait a minute. Something is not right here. Didn't the Buckeyes have a BCS bowl game (the Sugar Bowl) after the evidence was found and after the suspensions were made. That seems like that would have been a pretty opportune time to install discipline, especially being that the Sugar Bowl would be the first game following the findings. But of course, that type of suspension would have probably lost the NCAA money, as a Pryor-less Sugar Bowl would not attract many viewers. So what did the NCAA decide to do? It suspended the guilty Buckeyes for games against Akron, Toledo, Miami, Colorado and Michigan State (teams that had a combined record of 31-31 last year), four of which are at home and only one of which is against a conference opponent, so that they won't be missing out on any important Big Ten games - the games where there is moola to be made. Does not sound like justice is being served here.

In addition to serving as the crooked policeman who comes down hard on minor offenses, but turns the other way if you give it a couple of bucks, the NCAA is also inconsistent. If those same meals that Majerus had bought for some of his athletes were made at his home, delivered to his home or even brought back from the restaurant and served at his home, the NCAA would have been fine with it. The NCAA needs to either ease up on some of their ridiculous, arbitrary rules or tighten up and actually become consistent with their rulings.

Recently, the NCAA has made it quite clear that it comes money first and discipline second. If the NCAA wants to be the protector of amateurism then so be it, but that means that it to has to follow the rules. Instead of penalizing the people that are merely lending a bit of a hand to these amateur athletes, the NCAA should be after the guys that are doing the wrong things, like boosters giving thousands under the table, or student-athletes that knowingly and egregiously violate the rules. Maybe with the constant hypocrisy and greed surrounding the NCAA constantly, the NCAA should think about suspending itself before it suspends anyone else.

Luck May Not Be So Lucky

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. Today, I'm going to be introducing a new column idea called Hate It Or Love It. It's similar to What's For Dinner? except with this column, I'll be covering things in sports that I like or agree with in addition in addition to things I have a beef with. But if you were looking for some beef then today's your lucky day, because today, I am all about hating Andrew Luck's decision to stay at Stanford for his senior year in order to graduate.

There is something noble about an athlete getting their degree. Nowadays, it is extremely rare that a player, especially one of Luck's caliber, finishes up college. As the amount of money that pros are paid has risen dramatically, more players have decided that staying all four years is not necessary. A lot of the time players that leave early are wrong in doing so; many are not skilled or talented enough to play in the pros. With Luck that is not at all the case.

After a phenomenal junior season, in which he threw for 32 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, and 3,338 yards under the guidance of coach Jim Harbaugh (a former quarterback) and finished second in the Heisman voting, Luck looked like he was ready to take the next step into the pros. He wasn't just projected as a second or third rounder either. With the first pick in this year's NFL Draft being owned by the Carolina Panthers, and the team's quarterback situation looking rocky with Jimmy Clausen and Matt Moore, Mr. Luck looked like the probable first pick in this year's draft.

Do you know how much the first pick of the NFL Draft gets paid? When QB Sam Bradford got drafted by the Rams last year, he signed a six-year, $78 million deal, $50 million of which was guaranteed. The year before, another quarterback Matthew Stafford was taken in the top spot by the Lions; he signed a deal for the same length and amount as Bradford would a year later, but only got $41.7 million guaranteed. You can bet Luck would not be taking any less money than those guys if he was drafted first overall.

Now, after deciding to stay in school, there is no way for Luck's draft stock to go up; it can only either stay the same or go down, and we know how that usually ends up. The first quarterback of recent memory that passed up on being drafted in the top spot in order to enjoy his senior season was USC's Matt Leinart; what would have been his six-year, $49.5 million, with $24 million guaranteed deal went to Alex Smith. Even though Leinart's stats did not necessarily go down his senior year, his draft stock did, and he was taken with the 10th pick. Leinart was the last draftee to sign a deal that year, one worth $51 million over six years; although the deal was worth more than Smith's, only $14 million was guaranteed, and Leinart could have probably gotten a better deal than the much less popular Smith did had he left after his senior year and been picked first. Since then, Leinart has had a rocky career, mostly serving as a back-up quarterback.

In case the Leinart scenario was too long ago for Luck to remember, he had the evidence that he should declare for the draft right in front of him this year. Fellow Pac-10 quarterback Jake Locker out of Washington, was supposed to be the No. 1 pick in last year's draft. Instead of possibly getting Bradford's deal or a deal similar to Bradford's, Locker decided to stay for his senior year at Washington. After going down in almost every category this year and missing one game, Locker is now projected as a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Instead of $78 million, Locker will probably sign for around $7 million, and all because he wanted to stay his senior year and graduate.

Now it's Luck's turn to make the mistake. Who knows? Maybe he will have an outstanding senior season and once again be likely to be taken with the top pick. But there are just too many risks involved for that to be likely. No player has recently been able to do it, coach Jim Harbaugh is leaving to coach the 49ers next season, and now following a great season, Luck will have to perform under much more scrutiny than last year. Even for the Cardinal team, whose only loss came at the hands of Oregon this season, it will be tough to have another great year next year, no matter who their coach is.

There is no guarantee that the top pick and multi-million dollar deal will be there next year for Luck, even if he does have another outstanding season. There was a guarantee however, that had he left, there would have always been another opportunity to finish his college career and get a degree. Maybe staying in college is the noble thing to do, but had he left for the draft, Luck would be essentially guaranteed enough money to become actual nobility.