NUdiehard

I will be out of town and multi-tasking for family commitments, so I won't be able to anchor in front of a TV and I was hoping to watch at least parts on my iphone. Anyone have any suggestions? (I am asking about the Oregon game this Sat BTW).

I guess if you like sitting in your car in a parking garage for 45 minutes after every game, then it could be less of a hassle. Personally, I would rather walk a mile than park in one of those death traps (and I probably will be forced to because there is no lot parking near the arena). I guess I am just not sure how anyone thinks parking is going to improve at PBA. We shall see.

Does anyone know if the Oregon game will be available to watch on the internet?

We definitely need a big who can come in and play right away. Most likely, that will be a juco. I was about to answer that we should still try and get both a freshman big and a juco big since we still have 2 scholies open and we seem to have enough guards. However, when I looked at it closer, I think Miles may have a bit of a dilemma. As it stands now, unless I am mistaken, Gallegos will be our only senior on scholarship next year. That means if Miles hands out the remaining 2 scholies this year, he will only have 1 available for the 2014 class unless someone moves on (which is very likely/possible). Is he better off saving that scholarship since it is unlikely Miles can pick up a quality freshman big this late in the game for 2013? I guess it depends on who he can get, but if it is a choice of taking a "servicable" freshman big or holding on to it, then I would hold on to it. With that said, there is no doubt that we desparately need a big for next year. The more I learn (just by reading and observing), it appears to me that Pitchford is closer to 6'8" than 6'10", and he isn't too thick either. Thus, I am already thinking of him as more of a 3/4 than a 5. I just don't see him banging underneath with the big boys. We need someone with some strength and size and attitute to battle and rebound. If we don't get someone, it could be rough in the paint next year.

Like most, I am hopeful that Tai's visit goes well and he sign his LOI with NU. Based on what I have read, it seems there are at least 5 different scenarios that could play out regarding Tai and his commitment: 1.. Tai could "re-affirm" his verbal commitment to NU and wait until the spring signing period to sign with NU. This would be OK, but still make me nervous b/c a lot can happen/change over the course of the next 4 months. 2. Tai could say he is still verbally committed, but that he wants to "keep his options open" and possibly visit a few other schools before the spring signing period. This obviously would not be a good sign at all. 3. Tai could de-commit and state that he wants to visit other schools. This obviously would be the worst case scenario. 4. Rosenthal intimated that Tai maybe could have signed his LOI a couple of weeks ago and that he could hand deliver to it to Coach Miles. As long as it is delivered within 3 weeks of signing it, then it could still be valid. I have not seen any other source confirm or verify this. This, IMO, would be the second best scenario regarding Tai as we could all know with certainty that he is committed and signed. 5. Which leads me to the 5h, and IMO, best way this could play out. By all reports, Tai has now graduated from HS. Thus, there is no apparent reason why he couldn't enroll in school and start classes in January. Numerous football players have done this and there is no reason a basketball player couldn't also do it. If Tai were to enroll, there would be no need to sign a LOI. Enrolling in classes has the same effect as a LOI, it would commit him to NU and I believe he would have to sit out a year if he later decided to transfer. Plus, enrolling in January would mean he would immediately begin to work with the team and trainers in off-season workouts, lifting, training table, etc. He could practice with the current players in the Hendrix facility, etc. This clearly is the best case scenario and the one I am still holding out hope for.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-14/sports/chi-illinois-recruiting-class-20121114_1_maverick-morgan-scout-com-rivals-com-lists

How can you say this when you have never seen him play? It is fascinating how the guys people have never seen play are always the best players on the team (at least until we actually see them play). Just like some were claiming that Vucetic would be our starting center this year. What we do know is that as a true freshman, Standhardinger had to sit out the entire non-conf, and in his first game of his career, against a legit Big 12 team in TX A&M, CS had more points in about 10 minutes than Pitchford had all of last year combined. I believe Vander was the voted MVP of his entire conference last year. I realize that Pitchford was on the bench at Florida, but that could be taken both ways. I hope beyond hope you are correct, but none of us really know until we see him/them. I actually am a bit disappointed that I haven't heard more reports/rumors about Pitchford lighting it up in practice. You would think that if he is truly dominating, that word would leak out. There are many people who have watched practices (ie, HS coaches, etc), but I have not heard anyone say that Pitchford was heads and tails above the rest. In contrast, when I watched Doc's practices, it didn't take but 10 minutes to see that Standhardinger stood out. Again, though, Miles does not have open practices, so there is less observations to report. Hopefully, Pitchford is lighting it up and word just is not leaking out. I guess I just have been burned too many times in the past to get my hopes up on a guy that has never actually performed in the big league yet, so I will take a wait and see approach.