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Always Late to the Party The Carolina Panthers continue to dazzle in December. It seems like they always pull this stunt...and you know why? Because that's what they do. I had to look up the numbers, because I wanted to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. When I started researching the records, I couldn't believe how often history seems to repeat itself in Charlotte. Check out these numbers: Since the start of the 2002 season, the Carolina Panthers have only had 3 seasons in which they finished above .500. However, in games played in December during that same time period, the Panthers are 29-17...that is a winning percentage of 63%. This franchise closes fast in December.....is it because there's nothing to play for and the team plays relaxed? Is it because of a scheduling quirk where they play teams that have already clinched and they handle the back-ups? Come up with whatever theory you want, the Panthers are amazing in December....check out the year-by-year December records since 2002:
The Panthers have now won 3 of their last 4 games.....last year, they closed the season winning 4 of their last 6 games. In both 2009 and 2008, they won 4 of their last 5....it's uncanny, how the franchise has turned a disappointing season into a red-hot finish. Some folks would argue that it's the worst thing you could possibly do....you don't make the playoffs, and your positioning in the Draft plummets with each "meaningless" victory. The Panthers are playing their best ball of the season, and for everybody that buried Ron Rivera weeks ago after another painful loss...it's a reminder that you judge a coach, a team and a season by the body of work at the end of the season. I've never understood why fans and talking heads are so eager to call for a change in midstream. I have no idea if Rivera will survive at the end of the year, but I do know that the Panthers the past few weeks are playing as well as they have in years....take it for whatever it's worth. Did anybody have a better weekend than the University of Arizona? The football team found itself trailing in the 1st quarter by 3 touchdowns to Nevada in the first of many nondescript bowl games. In fact, the Wildcats were down 45-28 heading into the final quarter and the fun was just about to start. With less than two minutes, Arizona scored a pair of touchdowns in pulling out a miracle finish and won 49-48. Later in the evening, the nationally-ranked Arizona hoopsters found themselves trailing #5 Florida by 6 points with under a minute to play before pulling out a frantic win. There must be something in the water in Tucson? I can't remember another school winning two games in two different revenue sports in such crazy fashion. I loved watching the college hoops over the weekend. The Butler-Indiana game was outstanding. Great win by the Bulldogs, knocking off #1 IU in overtime and the coaching legend of Brad Stevens continues...nobody on the planet believes Butler has better players or athletes than the Hoosiers, but once again they win big games. I still love Indiana's team and Tom Crean has done a fabulous job turning around the fortunes of one of the great basketball institutions in America. I'm still buying them as the best team in the country, despite the loss....but it's still a long ways from March. Indiana's misfortune enables Coach K and Duke to jump to #1 in the polls. Nobody has a better line-up of wins than Duke....three over Top 5 teams already speaks volumes. Given the mix of senior leadership and quality freshmen, the Blue Devils will be a tough out when it matters. I also believe that last season's early exit from the Big Dance and all the pre-season hype towards NC State will only fuel Coach K and his team. I can't emphasize enough that it's not even January and tons of things can, and probably will happen before we get to the Madness.....but it appears that there are a handful of teams that just seem to be a cut above everybody else at this point: Duke, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio State, Syracuse, Florida and Arizona just to name a few. The Madness can wait....we've got another 4 weeks of hype before the Bama-Notre Dame BCS game. I've been asked about the demise of the Big East a bunch, the last couple of days. When news broke over the weekend that the "Catholic 7" were taking their basketball and going to find or form a new home, it didn't surprise me. But it did sadden me. If you love college hoops, you had to admire the competitive battles and rivals that existed in the Big East since the 80's. Syracuse, Georgetown, St. John's, Villanova, UConn, Pitt....the list goes on and on. Great games, players and rivalries. The Big East is over. The combination of football schools that remain looks like a collection of rejects...I don't mean to be disrespectful, but the teams left over are ones that can't seem to be invited to the Super Conferences. I can't get enough of a Tulane-Memphis football game. Boise State and San Diego State have to be thrilled....my friends at East Carolina, where football is important and there is a passion for the team and sport.....what happens next? College football is changing the entire landscape and I predict that 2013 will be the wildest year yet.....I think we're in for some big surprises when the Super Powers start going after each other. In closing, I want to express my thoughts and prayers to all the families and friends who suffered from the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. I'm sure if you have kids, you hugged them tighter this week after hearing the unspeakable news. I can't put into words how this event has touched all of us. God Bless each and every one of you. |
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