Win #1...brought to you by Reese's! Bud Lite! Reginald Delk!

In what was a strange game played on a strange court, we saw glimpses of how good things can look when they're clicking, and how ugly it can get when they're not. The game in a word? Shooting. It can cover a number of our sins, but the flaws sure stand out when they're not falling. It's going to be a frenetic month as Pitino experiments with different lineups before paring down the rotation. I'm not sure how much you can take from this one other than it's really great to have college basketball back. Other random thoughts...

* Rick Pitino's teams, at UofL anyways, have always toed the line between solid aggressive defense and, well, mugging. Last night the Cards tended towards the latter. The dumb fouls seemed to go hand in hand with a lack of offensive rhythm too.

* Reginald Delk. Well, hello there. He certainly had the hot hand from behind the arc, but he also showed some silky drives and forced at least two turnovers. You'd think he would have answered the starting swingman question with that 20-point performance, but...

* Jared Swopshire. Well, hello there. Flashing some impressive range, confidence, and most
importantly...rebounding. Almost a double-double in the first half, 13 boards total. With the number of shots the Cards are going to put up, Swopshire has to continue to be a glass-eater.

* Bobby Knight is a great commentator.

* At this rate Peyton Siva's going to match T-Will's highlight reel by month's end. OK, that's not true. But how awesome was that reverse?!?

* I've heard nothing but good things about Samardo Samuels and his work ethic, but his on-court body language could use some work. That incredulous grimace of his isn't pretty.

* Umm, when will it not be considered premature to worry about Mike Marra's shooting? Let me know, I'll be waiting.

1-0. Go Cards.