I’m not sure what the stats were from 3, but it felt like it wasn’t that great. We missed a lot of good looks, especially early. Which, again, makes 88 points feel even better.

Kind of concerning I guess, but that makes our depth much more important. There would have been plenty of other recent seasons where we didn't have the depth that would have covered some minutes from Kennedy.

I think the announcers mentioned how tight PM typically keeps the rotations (7 guys), and now he'll have to find minutes for around 11 players. Hopefully he keeps that in mind throughout the entire season because 1.) depth is probably our biggest advantage and 2.) we do need to make sure we don't completely demoralize/alienate the younger kids at the end of the bench (Hebb, Wojcik, Welch). Not only is our scholarship chart a top heavy right now, but they will be tough to replace in future years if they leave.

I noticed how fast Chicago State was when they played Northwestern. They aren't playing anyone taller than 6'7", so quickness is one of their few advantages. So if it looks like Kennedy is slower, it might be in comparison to a very quick team.

The cream is going to rise to the top as this season goes on and the rotation will skink a bit.

So far, Krutwig and Hall look the best to me. When we have serious competition, those guys are playing 30+ minutes per game. They can both score, and look great on defense.

Williamson is the next best player. I think we need him out there for extended periods of time. He’s still great defensively, and I think he’s looking very confident shooting the three and they will start falling.

Kennedy is going to be just fine. The way he slowed down to catch that pass underneath and was still able to elevate to dunk was impressive (and the tech was BS). I think he hung because he thought someone was trailing him and didn’t want to come down on anyone.

I’m very concerned about Norris on defense. He’s listed as 6’0”. That has to be a lie. He’s definitely quick, but I am worried about how he will fare against bigger Valley guards. I like Clemons better on the defensive side of the ball.

Uguak looks much better with less minutes, but I’m getting a bit frustrated with with him shooting 3s. I know he only took 1 today, but I’m never going to me happy with that shot.

I’m not sure why Cooper only got 9 minutes and Hebb got 15. I really think he’s going to be huge for us.

Frank’s absence makes me wonder what Porter’s plan is for both him and Welch and how he wants to use them.

Overall, disappointed with the slow start but optimistic about what this team can do. UIC is the first true test!

Ultimately, I think Frank (as long as he's healthy) will be the main backup for Krut. Welch is basically forced into that role as a necessity, kind of like how Ingram used to play in the post when we were thin down there in the pre-Krutwig days. In a perfect world for PM, Krut gets 30 minutes, Frank gets 10, and Welch plays more of a stretch four role as a sub for guys like Uguak and Hall.

As for lineups, IMO, the situation should dictate it, especially at the end of the game. I agree that Hall should play a lot of minutes, but I'm still worried about having him on the court with a lead under 2 minutes left. Maybe we should try front-loading his minutes? I have a feeling that maybe the free throw problems are more mental than mechanical, but either way, he's too much of a liability in that department at the moment until that gets rectified. Uguak is in a similar position too. Krutwig is a guarantee to be on the court. Williamson too. Other than that, I would rotate guys based on need (i.e. Kaifes if we need a three, Uguak if we need defense, etc.)

Yes--end of game scenarios scare me. Uguak would be awesome to have in there when we have a small lead because of his defense. Hall as well with solid defense and poise (plus our second best offensive threat). But I do not trust either shooting free throws with the game on the line.

They only scare me because PM has played his hand poorly in the past (obviously we're all thinking of the Valpo game last year at Arch Madness). With a lead, I think we can leave those guys out and use a lineup of Clemons, Kennedy, Norris/Kaifes, Williamson, and Krutwig (maybe even use Welch if Norris or Kaifes isn't playing good defense or is a mismatch). If we need buckets: Norris, Kennedy, Kaifes, Hall, and Krutwig with Williamson and Uguak coming on as defensive subs at the whistles.

For all the concerns about Halls free throw shooting in late game scenarios it’s worth remembering he drained 2 on the road with no time left on the clock to force overtime in Cedar Falls last year. It’s a weird problem but he makes too huge difference on the floor.

It’ll be interesting to see if/which of our current seniors return next year. Before the rule change we could expect to lose so much that transferring wouldn’t make as much sense for the younger guys since by then they’d be the most experienced guys on the team. But if some of those seniors stay it could change things; especially in addition to what we bring in. Ty Johnson has been performing really well and looks to be a steal. Ultimately the fear of losing good players because there are even better players in front of them is the ideal situation.

At this point it’s just fitting the right pieces together. Coop had multiple blown assignments on defense which I think kept his minutes down today

I think one 3 attempt per game for Aher is good and necessary, missing them is bad but literally being able to leave a guy standing alone on the offensive side of the ball because you know he wont shoot is worse.

Although he's missed them, I will say I think his shot looks a lot better. Both his form and the fact that the shot isn't basically a line drive.