The night of college hoops was far from over as plenty of other games displayed the best of college basketball. As the top of the ACC got jumbled up, the Big East had lots of action as some of their top teams stumbled and never got back on their feet. #3 Pittsburgh took a visit to Villanova as the Wildcats currently maintained the #21 position in the top 25 but Villanova looked more like the #3 team in the nation as Pittsburgh was dropped 67-57. Pittsburgh didn't let the hometown crowd distract their flow as Sam Young and Levance Fields were the scoring leaders for the Panthers but the second half was a completely different story. Villanova, who only scored 26 points in the first half, put up a convincing 41 points on the visiting team as they overcame the first half deficit to take a lead for the final eight minutes of the game. Pittsburgh was plagued by missed free throws and DeJuan Blair struggled to find an offensive flow all night. Nova was led by their big three in the second half as Cunningham, Reynolds, and Redding put up 10 points a piece and combined for 30 of their team's 41 points in the second half.
The young and rising Syracuse Orange decided not to take their defense on the road as they took on the providence Friars. As the first half ended, both teams left for the locker rooms as the score was tied at 44 each. There were more than enough lead changes and neither team really had a convincing run to take advantage of the match. The second half had even more scoring as both teams dropped 50 points at least. Providence took off from the start of the second half as they took the lead and never looked back as Sharaud Curry led the way and put up 15 of his 22 total points. Johnny Flynn, who led the entire night for both teams, had a career-high 35 points but it was not enough. Neither team really had an answer on defense as the final score was 100-94 in favor of the hosts, The Friars.
#23 Georgetown continued their struggles as they lost their 4th straight game and their 6th game in the last 8th. Tonight they fell to the Cincinnati Bearcats as they tried to improve their conference record but failed and went on to be 3-5 in the Big East and 12-7 overall. Expect them to be out of the top 25 for the upcoming week and many more to come. Coach Thompson is going to have to make some changes on his rotation and gameplan if he plans on partaking in this year's big dance.
Sleeper teams to keep an eye on for the next few weeks.
#7 Louisville isn't really a sleeper team as one of the top teams in the rankings but struggled early on and has now forgotten all about their losses to Western Kentucky, Minnesota, and UNLV as they have won eight straight and have yet to lose in the Big East, maintaining an impressive record of 7-0 in the conference. The team had shown signs of chemistry issues and struggles in the early portion of the season, but Pitino has brought it together as the athletic Cardinals are clicking on all cylinders.
#18 Memphis who dropped from the rankings earlier this season have gotten their act together as they could possibly be the hottest team in the nation right now with an 11 game winning streak. In the beginning of the season, Calipari and the Tiger veterans realized how important CDR, Dorsey, and DRose were to this team last year, as the team could not find a flow and realized that some improvements were dearly needed in order for this team to have success and make another run for the final four. Of course, the fresh Tigers still have plenty of pieces to add to the puzzle or success, but there is plenty of time to work on all that as the top team in the Conference USA doesn't have to worry about falling from the top of their conference as none of the other teams really pose a threat.
Moving on to the big topic of this year's Super Bowl, let's observe the running backs and the receiving corps for both squads. The Steelers have a workhorse in Willie Parker who has shown that you don't need size to be successful in the position and he will most likely have a couple of runs for over 20 yards in this match up. With his quick speed and agility, don't be surprised if Parker breaks free for a big run of 40 yards or more. Mewelde Moore, the back up who has proven to have the ability to step up as Parker missed a few games this season due to injuries, will probably come in to give Parker plenty of relief time and will most likely get a few handoffs as the Steelers will more than likely attempt over 30 running plays in order to wear out the Cardinal defense. Parker will run for over 100 yards and will take a lot of attention off of the passing game.
The Cardinals have a three headed monster led by Edgerrin James who has plenty of experience in the playoffs. Of course, this isn't a very threatening three headed monster as the back ups Tim Hightower and J.J Arrington aren't exactly at the same level as Edge but both have proven to be capable of doing damage to defenses. Tim Hightower will probably have a few opportunities as Kurt Warner will hand it off to the man in the jersey with the number 34 on the back. J.J Arrington who was a highly rated running back coming out of California just a few years ago will probably spend the night on the sidelines, but if his jersey number is called, expect Arrington to try to make a name for himself by stepping up and making a huge play.
Both teams have plenty of talent at running back but I will have to lean towards the Steelers running game as they display more athleticism and speed. Besides, Edge has never been to the Super Bowl. (Recall when the Colts traded Mr. James and moved on with life by winning the Super Bowl the next season)
Pittsburgh has a former Super Bowl MVP in receiver Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes is a young star in the making. Can't leave Heath Miller out of the picture as Roethlisberger will look to him plenty of times as the two leading wide receivers will draw a few double teams from the weak secondary of Arizona. Hines is coming off an injury but he will be giving 100% as he hopes to be the one lifting up the trophy. Expect the man to have a slow and hesitant start, but the running game will complement the receiving game and lots of pressure will be taken off Hines. Santonio Holmes will have to step up as their isn't much receiving depth on the team and he will definitely be the x-factor for Pittsburgh's offense.
Arizona has a duo at the wide receiver position and possibly the most dangerous receiver in the league. Terrell who?.. and you can forget about Randy Moss when he doesn't have his right hand man Tom Brady.. It's all about Larry Fitzgerald. With plenty of double teams being put on this guy, Anquan will have to step up and get open for Kurt. The silent killer, Steve Breaston, will be the x-factor for the Cardinals offense as he will need to step up and demand the ball at times. Not much action from the Cardinals' tight ends but Leonard Pope is a freak at 6'8" and is bound to blossom in the NFL sometime soon. The Super Bowl wouldn't be a bad place to start.
The Pittsburgh defense has a notorious secondary led by Troy Polamalu but it won't matter as Arizona's receiving threat is very talented as well. Advantage Arizona.
A big time game to watch tomorrow night.. if you have cable that is..
Tune in to TNT at 800 pm as Orlando hosts Cleveland in a potential Eastern Conference Final preview.
-Jason Chong
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