onsin and Northwestern -- and it was hard to tell just how good

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers will look to keep their strong week going as they host the Phoenix Suns on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.The Pacers (6-6) have won consecutive games for the first time this season, defeating the Orlando Magic on Monday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Despite the .500 overall record, the Pacers are 6-1 on their home court.Were slowly building day by day, said Pacers center Myles Turner. Weve got to keep the ball rolling.Coach Nate McMillan is seeing the improvement on the defensive end.Weve gone back to focusing on the basics, McMillan said. We were switching a lot, but that was making us too soft. Weve gone back to working hard and just playing traditional defense.Turner added: To be the team we want to be, and to go where we want to go, weve got to be a good defensive team.The Pacers and Suns have both been much better on the offensive end compared to the defensive end overall this year. It could make for a high-scoring game.Theyve got some good guards, said Pacers point guard Jeff Teague. We have to make sure we match their intensity.Those guards include Devin Booker (20.5 points per game), Eric Bledsoe (17.5), and Brandon Knight (12.8).The Suns (3-9) have lost three straight games. Theyre averaging 108 points per game, good enough for fifth in the NBA. However, theyre also fifth-worst in the NBA in defensive efficiency (107 points allowed per 100 possessions).Phoenix has scored over 100 points in every game except the opener, but still has nine losses to show for it. That will happen when you give up the most points per game in the NBA as the Suns have so far this season.Theyve given up 120 points or more in three consecutive games for the first time since 1988.Were 3-9, Suns guard Brandon Knight told ESPN.com. Our goal was to be a playoff team, so we have a lot of major issues.Knight scored a season-high 32 points in the losing effort against Denver on Wednesday. Hes been getting more accustomed to his role off the Suns bench.Its not an easy transition, Knight said of being a sixth man. Just trying to figure out a routine. Thats the biggest thing. Youve had a routine over the past five, six years. Just trying to figure out how to be successful within the time youre playing and how to pace yourself because you can play long spurts as a bench guy.Both teams are in the midst of a critical early season stretch. The Pacers have been playing a lot of home games lately, and that will continue with four of their next five games in Indianapolis. The next six games for the Suns will be against the Pacers, Sixers, Wizards, Magic, Timberwolves, and Magic. Those teams have a combined 22-44 record, and the Suns will need to take advantage.For the first time in several weeks, Rodney Stuckey is listed as questionable for the Pacers. He will be returning soon from a hamstring injury.The Pacers won both games against the Suns last season, but Phoenix has won eight of their previous 11 trips to Indiana.Swell Black Friday . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Swell Cyber Monday Sale . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. http://www.waterbottleblackfriday.com/ . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. Swell Cyber Monday . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Hydro Flask Cyber Monday . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead.College football has the uncanny ability to surprise us every weekend and yet at the same time provide a little sense of déjà vu.For those who have been paying close attention to the College Football Playoff the past two years, some parallels can be drawn early. Take a look at how some previous playoff storylines have the potential to resurface under the guise of different programs:2016 Clemson is 2014 FSU: Close wins? A few scares? Dont say it ... not game control ...Then: The undefeated 2014 Seminoles never reached the No. 1 spot in the committees top four in large part because they won in unconvincing fashion. Everybody says game control, FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said after beating Boston College 20-17. Thats something made up. As a coach, you talk about one thing: Finish. Get it done. This team wins in every way, shape and form you can win. It was good enough for No. 3.Now: Clemson has beaten its past two unranked opponents -- Auburn and Troy -- by six points each. The Tigers dropped three spots to No. 5 in this weeks AP poll. So far, the ACCs other Atlantic Division heavyweight is following the Noles 2014 blueprint: finding a way to win the close ones, albeit in unimpressive fashion. I dont know about other people, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said last week, but I think that with our schedule, if we win every game by one point and were 13-0, I think well be just fine. Fine, yes. No. 1? Probably not.2016 San Diego State is 2014 Marshall: Undefeated? Yep. But who did you play?Then: Marshall was 10-0, ranked No. 18 in the AP poll, and still unranked by the selection committee because of its weak strength of schedule. It wasnt until Week 14 that the undefeated Herd snuck into the committees top 25 at No. 24 -- right behind a two-loss Boise State team.Now: The Aztecs are 2-0 and coming off an impressive win over Cal, but theres not one ranked opponent currently on their schedule. ESPNs Football Power Index ranks San Diego States strength of schedule No. 118. Marshall entered bowl season ranked No. 127 of 128. The highest-ranked champion from a Group of 5 conference is guaranteed a spot in a New Years Six bowl, so the Aztecs are a team to keep an eye on in that regard, but they could face a similar snub from the committee -- even if undefeated.2016 Oklahoma is 2014 Ohio State or 2015 Stanford: Theyre done. Toast. Kaput.Then: The Buckeyes at home too an unimpressive Virginia Tech team in Week 2 and were instantly discredited in the CFP race.dddddddddddd Instead, they ran the table with their third-string quarterback, won the Big Ten title and earned a spot in the committees final top four of the season. Stanford was also written off last year after its season-opening loss to Northwestern, but was still in the conversation even as a two-loss Pac-12 champ.Now: Oklahoma is trying to rebound from its season-opening loss to Houston (granted, not nearly as bad of a loss as the one the Buckeyes suffered to the Hokies), but OU and the entire Big 12 have practically been discounted. (Psst, its just one loss). The Sooners now likely have to run the table -- a tall task with Ohio State looming this Saturday -- but the Buckeyes will remind you, it can be done.2016 Bama is potential 2015 and 2014 Bama: Rewind, repeat ... rewind, repeat ...Then: In 2014, Alabama finished No. 1 in the selection committees ranking, in spite of losing to Ole Miss. In 2015, Alabama finished No. 2 in the committees final ranking, in spite of losing to Ole Miss.Now: Here comes Ole Miss. Nick Saban certainly doesnt want to lose three straight to the Rebels, but as far as the playoff goes, it clearly doesnt matter if he does.2016 Pitt is potential 2015 Iowa: Just how good are they?Then: The Hawkeyes cruised through the weaker Big Ten West division, and ran the table during the regular season, making it impossible for the selection committee to leave an undefeated Power 5 team out of its top four. Iowa had faced just two ranked teams during the regular season -- Wisconsin and Northwestern -- and it was hard to tell just how good they were until the title game (a 16-13 loss to Michigan State) and Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual (a 45-16 Stanford rout).Now: Like Iowa, Pitt hails from the weaker of its divisions, and it currently has only two ranked opponents on its schedule (No. 25 Miami and No. 5 Clemson). If Pitt can survive upcoming back-to-back road games against Oklahoma State and North Carolina, it could be 8-0 heading into the Miami game. The difference here is that Pitt could wind up playing both FSU and Clemson, but the Panthers could be deceivingly good heading into November.Cheap Jerseys [url=http:/s