[81alum]

I'm excited for this season. It's going to be brutal, though, though given the strength of the pre-conference schedule and the the Pac-12 meatgrinder. I just hope we can keep everyone healthy. The depth can help that, meaning that Tara can let people rest in games as needed.

So . . . , onward!

I would rather we play a tough early schedule and test this team rather than breeze through a bunch of cupcakes with 30+ point wins.  I wouldn't go so far as to wish we suffer a loss or two, but I hope we get challenged and have to dig deep to pull out victories.

Yes, how much can you conclude from this?  How much did the team learn about playing against top teams?  There's nothing wrong with scheduling an extreme mismatch I suppose to get everyone excited about the season.

Playing a cupcake in exhibition and a few mismatches against somewhat more respectable teams (Morgan State) is standard operating procedure.  It gives Tara a chance to get our freshmen used to the pace of DIV I play, and gives the 2nd and 3rd stringers a lot of playing time that they could not receive in a more evenly matched game.  But we will get to a Vic Schaeffer team (Texas) next week, and have Gonzaga, Maryland, Tennessee, and South Carolina (among others) before beginning an absolutely brutal Pac 12 schedule.  By that point the rotation will be a lot less than the 17 on the roster.  Our schedule looks to me to be as difficult as anyone in the country--we will see if it seems that way as the wins and losses get assigned. 

I enjoy these games, partly because we do get to see players who will likely recede later in the year.

[81alum]

I'm excited for this season. It's going to be brutal, though, though given the strength of the pre-conference schedule and the the Pac-12 meatgrinder. I just hope we can keep everyone healthy. The depth can help that, meaning that Tara can let people rest in games as needed.

So . . . , onward!

I would rather we play a tough early schedule and test this team rather than breeze through a bunch of cupcakes with 30+ point wins.  I wouldn't go so far as to wish we suffer a loss or two, but I hope we get challenged and have to dig deep to pull out victories.

Yes, how much can you conclude from this?  How much did the team learn about playing against top teams?  There's nothing wrong with scheduling an extreme mismatch I suppose to get everyone excited about the season.

Playing a cupcake in exhibition and a few mismatches against somewhat more respectable teams (Morgan State) is standard operating procedure.  It gives Tara a chance to get our freshmen used to the pace of DIV I play, and gives the 2nd and 3rd stringers a lot of playing time that they could not receive in a more evenly matched game.  But we will get to a Vic Schaeffer team (Texas) next week, and have Gonzaga, Maryland, Tennessee, and South Carolina (among others) before beginning an absolutely brutal Pac 12 schedule.  By that point the rotation will be a lot less than the 17 on the roster.  Our schedule looks to me to be as difficult as anyone in the country--we will see if it seems that way as the wins and losses get assigned. 

I enjoy these games, partly because we do get to see players who will likely recede later in the year.