GATA

Miles has said he likes to play two point guards at the same time, so we could certainly use another one with Biggs being a question mark and Parker being nothing more than a deep reserve at this point.

Anybody watch this game? Did Pinder show anything?

Biggs comes up smalls?

10 for 23 from deep and we have only 54 points. How can that happen?

Of course you force a 3 there...

Yikes. What a demoralizing second half. Just putrid.

No doubt that it's true, but I don't think I like Miles saying it out loud. He's essentially saying he's coaching well enough but the guys he already has recruited simply aren't good enough to compete with the B1G boys.

I wouldn't go that far. You're never going to keep every top talent in Chicago. It's just not possible. But Groce has landed Kendrick Nunn and Jaylon Tate (Tate wasn't super highly recruited). Both are Simeon kids, and that could potentially open up the pipeline again. Groce has done a great job of recruiting, and hasn't shown that he doesn't need to simply recruit Chicago. He recruits nationally.

Illinois is on Cliff Alexander's list, and he is making his decision today.

A few observations... * Wow, does Shields look far more athletic and explosive. That easily was the most impressive thing I saw last night. He looked all-Big Ten worthy last night. I can't wait to see him against the big boys later this year. * Tai Webster absolutely passed the eye-ball test. He'll eventually get those lay-ups to fall. Hopefully he can develop that jumper and become a good free-throw shooter because he's going to get to the line a lot, especially if teams have to honor his outside shot. * Pitchford is a strange player. He's built like a prototypical athlete at PF, but he thinks he's a shooting guard. Hopefully he can develop into a truer power forward because we need that this year. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have a "stretch four," but I'm hoping for more out of him. That said, at the very least, he's athletic, can rebound and knock down 3s. In the Big Ten, though, we need someone to get us buckets in the paint. We won't face average defensive teams like FGCU all year. * I'm happy to see Parker have a strong game, and he's certainly made strides, but I'll continue to question him until he can be more than "just a guy" in a half-court set. But he showed some upside as a pesky defensive player and a guy who can finish layups in transition. Maybe he doesn't get many minutes with Biggs and Gallegos back, but he's a guy you can trust out there to not make mistakes and to give maximum effort. * Leslee Smith moved around well out there. I think once he gets more comfortable in the system he'll become a much better player. He didn't do a lot statistically, but his movement skills appeared good, and that was good to see considering the concerns over his leg injuries. * Petteway has a non-stop motor. It was nice to see him sink a couple of 3-pointers (and the Pinnacle Bank was open!). He'll be a fun guy to watch this year since he's constantly in attack mode. I need to see his steal/layup again. Looked like a travel to me, but maybe it was just so awkward that it looked like one. I hope he continues to knock down just enough jumpers to keep teams honest. * Rivers will continue to be a rock-solid player for us this year. What a great role player to have. * I'll be disappointed if Fuller ends up redshirting. A lot of people here had high hopes for him as an instant rotation guy. I worry about his speed/athleticism, but he seems to have an understanding of the "right way to play."

I was one ... I'll gladly eat crow if he continues playing this well!

I can't believe how good Shields is. Are we sure he's just a sophomore?

What makes you say that? Just the need for an extra guard?

Only six assists tonight. I wouldn't have guessed that.

Whoa: ZERO transition points for Dunk City. That's really impressive.

Not to nitpick a great win or anything, but I do worry about the interior offense. Could be tough going in the Big Ten, but having a bunch of shooters and quick players can make up for a lot of that.

Vooch!

If Fuller can't get on the floor, does that mean Hawkins is gonna redshirt too?

Can't wait to see Sergej!

We'll disagree there. Miles has barked at the officials quite a few times. But he's a coach, that's what they do. He barked at them last year as well. I don't see him complaining any more than he did last year. The Eagles' coach certianly isn't doing much because of the fouls. Well, Miles also complained about the new rules after the scrimmage... A scrimmage that didn't matter for anything other than being a game-situation practice. He said he wasn't sure how a game would even get finished because everyone would foul out...are we seeing anything like that tonight? Look, you're the one who brought up Miles not complaining about calls, which is kinda ridiculous since he's been on screen complaining about calls (and it's not like the camera is on him EVERY TIME A FOUL IS CALLED). But I'm done with the new rules conversation for tonight. I've stated my thoughts. You've stated your thoughts. Not much else to be said. Let's just focus on how good we've looked tonight. This isn't a deep FGCU team, but this is an awfully quality opening win for a team that doesn't have a lot of experience playing together in live action.

We'll disagree there. Miles has barked at the officials quite a few times. But he's a coach, that's what they do. He barked at them last year as well. I don't see him complaining any more than he did last year. The Eagles' coach certianly isn't doing much because of the fouls. Well, Miles also complained about the new rules after the scrimmage...

We'll disagree there. Miles has barked at the officials quite a few times. But he's a coach, that's what they do.

Very Frank Solich like comment! LOL. I guess I mean that he doesn't look injured or that he's dragging his leg behind him. There was some concern about him coming into the year.

Smith isn't doing a lot out there, but he's moving around pretty well.

I was wondering why he wasn't in already. If he's redshirting, that's pretty disappointing.