By Brian Edwards
Posted 02/01/2012 at 07:21 PM

It was so strange, so unusual, so unexpected and so… downright shocking!. It would be the sudden demise of the Pittsburgh Panthers, who lost their first seven Big East games and appeared destined to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

They lost at DePaul, at home to Rutgers (by 23!) and by double digits at home to Louisville. Jamie Dixon’s squad only scored 39 points in the embarrassing defeat against the Scarlet Knights and got run out of the Joyce Center against Notre Dame.

All seemed lost, including an eight-year run of NCAA Tourney appearances on Dixon’s watch.

But with the return of junior point guard Tray Woodall, who missed 11 games with a groin injury, the Panthers have won three in a row. They went 5-6 without Woodall, which equated to a 9-2 ledger with the starting PG in the lineup.

We know how the Selection Committee has taken important injuries into consideration in the past, so a strong finish by Pitt could have it in the conversation. The Panthers beat Georgetown by 12 this past Saturday with Woodall dishing out 10 assists. Then they followed that up with an impressive win at West Virginia thanks to Woodall’s 24 points.

If Pitt can win six of its last eight Big East games, it would get to the 20-win mark and have a 9-9 record in league play. According to my crystal ball, the Panthers will be favored in five of their remaining eight games, including four home contests and road tilt at South Florida. The three other games are at Seton Hall, at Louisville and at UConn.

In other words, the 2011-2012 Panthers still have life. They return to the court Sunday to host Villanova.

FULL STORY

By Brian Edwards
Posted 12/20/2011 at 03:48 PM

1-Packers
2-Saints
3-Patriots
4-49ers
5-Ravens
6-Steelers
7-Falcons
8-Texans
9-Lions
10-Chargers
11-Cowboys
12-Broncos
13-Eagles
14-Giants
15-Jets
16-Cardinals
17-Bengals
18-Dolphins
19-Bears
20-Raiders
21-Redskins
22-Seahawks
23-Titans
24-Panthers
25-Chiefs
26-Browns
27-Vikings
28-Jaguars
29-Buccaneers
30-Bills
31-Rams
32-Colts

**B.E.'s Bonus Nuggets**

--San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers owns an INCREDIBLE 23-2 record in 25 career starts in the month of December.

--The 'over' went 8-7-1 in Week 15. Meanwhile, the underdogs cashed tickets at a 9-6-1 against-the-spread clip with seven outright wins.

--The money-line payouts for the underdogs went like this (per closing numbers at Las Vegas Hilton): Chiefs +550, Colts +260, Redskins +240, Panthers +210, Seahawks +175, Chargers +110 and Dolphins +100.

--Players of the Week: Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson -- Detroit's QB/WR combo led the team to its biggest win in more than a decade, rallying it to a 28-27 win at Oakland with a pair of touchdown connections in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. Stafford finished with 391 passing yards and four TDs without an interception in 52 attempts. Johnson had nin receptions for 214 yards and a pair of scores at crunch time.

--Coach of the Week: Romeo Crennel - The interim head coach for the Chiefs led a 5-8 team to an improable victory over the previously-unbeaten Packers with a QB (Kyle Orton) that had only taken one career snap with the club going into the game. In doing so, KC remained alive in the playoff picture.

FULL STORY