A Thing Of Beauty

There was a time during the NFL football season that comments were being made about Aaron Rogers whether he had finally hit the age barrier and his career was on the down slide.  The Packers looked awful while Minnesota and Detroit were leaving the Packers in their dust.  The playoffs continue with a revved up Packer team and Minnesota and Detroit watching on TV.

There was a point in the season that Pittsburgh looked as a 3rd place team in the AFC North behind Cincinnati and Baltimore.  This weekend is the AFC title game and Pittsburgh is playing and the rest watching on TV.

The Wolfpack  of N C State have a top ten recruiting class in basketball.  Their record at this moment is 13-6 but a dismal 2-4 in the ACC.  They were picked 6th in a 15 team league but today tied for 12th.   When you watch them play you can see all kinds of offensive explosion in almost every player they have.

They have one of the top guards in freshman Dennis Smith.  He has become the second player in N C State history to have a triple double. Points 27 rebounds 11 and assists 11.  They have players that can put the ball in the hole and score and yet each players has played good defense against his man.  Their problem they play poor team defense.  Don't help out when others let their man get by them.

They have just played in the preseason polls two of the worse teams and lost.  They look like Green Bay and Pittsburgh and are floundering.  All this talent that they have you can see that they could win ten in a row if they figure things out like.  When teams figure it out there is nothing in sports any better than a team that is playing the way they are suppose to play.

The Steelers and Packers figured it out and it is exciting as a fan to see a team improve.  Can the Pack improve enough?

The question for the Wolfpack are they selfish individual players who don't care about others only their best interest in their future?  Seems to me team success breeds more notice for your future than
playing on a team that looks like there is no hustle by any body.  Can the Pack put it together to Make the NCAA and then a good run once they get in?

Coach K is on the sidelines with a surgery like that occurred in 1995.  Just so happened that year is the last losing year in Duke basketball.  This years squad  jumped out to a 14-2 start and for the life of me I don't know how they did it. 

They have in their first five ACC games a record of 2-3.  That is good for a tie for ninth place.  Is this team heading in 1995 direction with out K.  I don't see a very good defensive team.  Injuries may take their leader off the court for the rest of the year.  Is there anyone on the floor that can be a true leader?  At this point they don't have a take charge type guy leader on the floor.  They have 14 victories which is more than 1995 finished with after they were 9-3 when K went down in 1995. 

Who do you think is the front runner to replace coach K when he finally retires ?  Jeff Capel..  He has lots of pressure on him to win more than they lose while K is out.  They don't need to lose six out of seven while K is out.  So far they have lost two of three

Can State or Duke find the pieces to put on runs that everyone expects.  Right at this point I don't see it happening for either one.  If somehow it happens there is no more beautiful thing than to watch a team struggling to get it right that finally gets it.

Carolina is right where everyone thought they should be.  They at this point look like a team that could go right back to the final four.  Injuries could alter that formula.  They need to stay healthy and not hit the skids and lose two or more in a row.  Roy won number 800 this week.  Can by the end of the season run it up to about 820?