I'm out for a while

Well, as the exams wear down and time counts down to Christmas break, I figure I will wrap this up until January.
By the time I get back to the states I hope to see Davidson ranked in the Top 25 after beating Syracuse, and starting 7-2. People around school really only to expect to lose 2 more games this season and we are all hoping that we can beat either Syracuse or UNC. That is quite a far cry from last year's .500 record at this time in the season with only two wins in D-I. Are we really that much better now? As coach says, it really is about inches in this game. We could very easily be 2-4 right now instead of 4-2, but we could also be 5-1, if Boris hits a dunk in the second half of the Charlotte game. That perspective really makes one appreciate the various bounces in this game as I guarantee that our opponents put detail and heart into their practices as well. It's only in rare times (eg. Missouri) that one team truly "deserves" to beat the other. On Tuesday night, ESPN will be showing a small segment on the '64-'65 Davidson that was ranked preseason #1 under Lefty Driesell. Sometimes it is quite shocking to think that I'm right in the middle of this school's push for national glory on the basketball stage. Beginning last year, Davidson is pulling away from the Southern Conference (a la Gonzaga) in a very real way. Coach McKillop has monster recruiting classes and my class' Sander, Richards and Meno are forces in their own right. There are few better coaches in the country than Bob and the community outside of Charlotte has already set attendance records for our first three home games.
Turning my attention 15 miles south, the Carolina Panthers take on the Bucs tomorrow in a classic battle for control of the NFC South. In many ways, the Panthers are similar team as our Wildcats. They both struggled to find offensive identity early on in the season. But there were enough weapons and great coaching to pull them through games that they didn't necessarily deserve to win. But as the confidence builds, the team and the fans begin thinking big thoughts. We are already talking NFC Championship games in Charlotte. If Carolina wins out, they have an opportunity to catch both Seattle and Chicago who have tough games remaining. A first round bye and home field advantage would be so key as Carolina hasn't lost in Charlotte but once this season and that season opener was a fluke.
I will be following all of these developments very closely from across the pond and I hope that you will too. Hehe. Da Bears are going down.
I will be heading to U2 on Monday, I will be sure to say hey to Bono for everyone.
OUT!