WATERCOOLER CHAT: BIG EAST TOUGH THIS YEAR, COACHING CHANGE IN OAKLAND, FAVRE RETIRES…AGAIN
BASKETBALL
In college basketball, #4 Pitt was looking to hand #3 Syracuse its first loss of the season.  They got off to an amazing start! Pitt went on a 19-0 run to start the game. Syracuse simply couldn’t get anything going. This game looked to be a rare route between top teams. But, suddenly, Syracuse turned on ITS jets and staged their own comeback. It was flipped. Syracuse erased Pitt’s 19-0 lead, and oddly Pitt couldn’t seem to find any rhythm whatsoever. In the second half, it was neck and neck, but behind a 21 point night from Nasir Robinson, Pitt held on to deliver Syracuse’s first defeat of the season. The Big East is a tough place this year, and it’s too early to tell who is the dominant party just yet. Pitt 74, Syracuse 66.
FOOTBALL
In the NFL, the Oakland Raiders have decided on a coaching change. They have let go of Tom Cable and promoted offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to head coach. Why Jackson and not a more famous candidate? Because Jackson was responsible for doubling their offensive output this season. Before Jackson, the Raiders could barely score a touchdown. Jackson was able to utilize their new QB Jason Campbell, and their high-profile running-back Darren McFadden to put some serious points on the board. McFadden had been lackluster up until this point, but with Jackson’s guidance, McFadden turned into the machine they thought he would be. He had several multiple-touchdown games and even helped the Raiders earn a few wins. The Raiders are quietly stock-piling assets — look for them to be a contender next season.
Finally, it what should be the last of the Brett Favre saga — Favre has filed his retirement papers with the NFL. That doesn’t necessarily make his retirement official, but unlike the past few seasons, this time Favre HIMSELF is really the only reason he has to retire. Nobody was pushing him out and he would have a home in Minnesota, but injuries finally caught up to him, even to the point where he had to sit out games this season. That ended his incredible consecutive games streak shy of 300 games. At this point, he actually might be too old and frail to play. But, Favre had a few parting words. He said he thinks the Green Bay Packers are the best team alive in the post-season right now, and feels that his former team (where he built his legacy) will win it all.
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