This was a massacre through-and-through, but I thought the lineups with Knight were the most dominant. On offense we really only needed our big to catch dishes and finish strong, and he seemed to do that better than Hutty or Welsh. Seemed to rebound well too. Hutty and Welsh seem to be better perimeter shooting options but Knight was pretty good at keeping the ball moving on the perimeter -- he's no Krut passing-wise, but was a lot smoother than I expected.

We will see how things look against slightly better competition in FGSU and UIC (Coppin and Chicago St. are both bottom-10 in KenPom). My prediction for the Battle for Atlantis is we'll see Knight get most of the big man minutes.

Saint Thomas looks like the future, but he just might make an impact this year and be the fact bumps the team back into top-20 range. Again, tough to know how he will respond to better competition.

Schweiger looks like a useful instigator to put in the game if the offense is looking hesitant or sluggish. Don't think he sees a ton of minutes with KC coming back, but there is a role there.

"Useful instigator".

I like it!

Our "second five" would finish in the top half of the Valley.

Assuming Hutty/Uguak/Lucas/Clemons/Norris as our starting five, there's little doubt in my mind that Knight/Ryan Schwieger/Hall/Quise/Saint Thomas would be beat the starting lineups of Bradley, the ISUs, Valpo, Evansville (at least). And that still leaves TY and Welch coming off the bench. Just an abundance of talent on this roster.

I do think it'll be interesting to see how Coach Drew handles the rotations when the competition gets tougher. I wouldn't mind Quise staying in the starting lineup when Clemons is back. Quise is just so dynamic--skies for rebounds, comes up with huge steals and can create his own shot. And then Clemons could be an experienced guard off the bench who can shoot 40+% from 3 and is always a threat to catch fire.

Saint Thomas may not win FOY because the talent above him may prevent him from playing enough minutes, but he will probably end up the best freshman in the conference.

If the offense doesn't stagnate swapping Keith for Quise I think having Quise's offense off the bench is so valuable. Truly an abundance of talent on this team. I wish there were a tougher home test before the Spartans but so be it. On to FGCU.

One of the more glaring and impressive stats to me:

We scored 103 points, and our leading scorer only had 16 points. The way we moved the ball, and spread the scoring opportunities around could make us very difficult to defend. Even if we have an off shooting night, it will hopefully be a rare night where absolutely nobody is able to make any shots and/or we can’t get that person opportunities to shoot.

I bet the only fan who didn't love the Ramblers' high octane offense was the ROTC student who entertained at halftime by doing one pushup for each Loyola point scored.

By the time the poor guy hit 50 his pushup form looked like ahunte doing the same thing at halftime of a Rambler soccer game.

OKay....I will be the devils advocate.....Coppin St is ranked 300 and something....had no returning players......and they doubled the ball off the dribble and when the ball was reversed they kept the double on the post most of the time.....daring us to shoot the 3...and we DID!!!!!!!We attempted 46 3 pointers!!!!!!!!!! I am thinking that is a record? and they had little or no post presence......so hard to say what we learned from this game other than I dont think any other teams will give us that many open 3s. and was great to get so many players meaningful time.
1. I still worry about post play....Huttie struggled, he may end up doing what he did last year....some high energy minutes off the bench....also when we saw him last year...he was doing a lot of the high post stuff...which I dont think we ran at all last night...you know where Krut would have the ball at the top of the key...bobbing and weaving and pick and rolling etc...dont know if this is out of our offensive system this year...or just what happened last night..need a bigger sample...but Huttie struggled with the speed of the game...Knight did okay but man he is not very big and as AHUNT said there are some big, impressive post players in the Valley. I would feel really good if we had an established low post presence...may still happen.
2. I thought Marquis Kennedy really played well with the ball, but did not have many opportunities to get to the rim. I think again this was a function of how Coppin played defense. I still think he is going to have a big year....looked very confident with the ball
3. We really need to have Clemons back and in the rotation or NOrris will need an oxygen tank......
4. Thought Sweigert as mentioned will be a great addition to the rotation....savy
5. Ugahk, Ugahk, Ugahk....what the heck,,,turned into Steve CUrry..
6. Saint Thomas was okay and showed promise but looked lost on defense and did not guard well on the perimeter
7. We knew when Porter was the coach that defense was our identity, remains to be seen if that is changing. I think I got a detached retina just watching the ball go back and forth.....we will be getting a bigger sample size
8. Did you all notice that we played a 1-2-2 ZONE!!!!!!!!!! 3 different times in the game...???
9. Main concern still is that when we play the big boys we are going to get hurt inside.
10. As far as Mr, Anderson is concerned all I will say is that info tells me he is a great kid, teammate, and student....and apparently great on the scout team.
11. that game was just what I needed LOW ANXIETY
12. Best part for me was to see those students enjoying themselves
13. Glad those Florida GUlf State boys are going to get some real Chicago weather.

Also interesting to note that UIC went on the road to Dayton and pushed them throughout the game. UIC actually had a sizeable lead in the 2nd half but kind of shut down during the homestretch. They should provide a decent test prior to our Atlantis opener vs Michigan State. FGCU, who had no challenge in their opener vs an NAIA team, is higher in KenPom than UIC (210 for FGCU vs 261 for UIC) so might provide a decent challenge as well. Wish we had a top 150 type team before we dive into a challenge like Michigan State though...

Poor guy. Talk about getting more than you bargained for!

I thought he was slowing down around 40. To me, you have to be prepared for 40.

But 54 is a whole other game. I think the PA guy bailed him out, too.

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I think our style of play will vary depending on the opponent. Here’s the thing: we know we can play the other style with this group, but now we (and other teams) have to know that we can also play this style. And like I said earlier, playing this way with a bunch of tall guys that can shoot can be really, really good. Think Nevada a few years ago.

It wasn’t so much the number of threes that I liked, but moreso how we got those shots. Moving the ball (quickly) and not hesitating to take an opportunity. For all the great things Porter’s slow, efficient style offense brought, I always felt one downside to it was some kids looked hesitant to shoot in his system. Especially Aher. He looked great, and relaxed, last night. I also think Hutson will be fine, remember he can also shoot. And he’s proven himself in spurts last year against a guy at Illinois who some have already crowned the best center in college this year. The flow of the game and the matchup just didn’t favor him last night.