Quick Thoughts From Blue White Game

* First things first, John Wall and Pat Patterson showed why they are Everybody's All Americans. They were awesome and it was never fair for them to be on the same team. But there performance was about what you would expect from these two which is crazy as well as they played.

* Darnell Dodson showed me a lot tonight. He made a case for a starting nod. Bledsoe is so good that I am not sure if Dodson can take his spot, but Dodson made it clear he will be a factor on this team. Dodson has a great shot and he was in rhythm all night. He also looked a lot better going to the basket than I anticipated. Really was pleasantly surprised with what I saw from Dodson.

* If Ramon Harris can shoot like that for us this season we are going to be even better than I imagined. We already knew there were a lot of things he could do well like rebounding and hustle defense, but if he has improved his shot as much as it appeared tonight he is going to get several minutes off the bench. The last couple years he looked a little like Chuck Hayes shooting threes (which isn't a good thing), but his shot was a LOT smoother looking tonight. Was clear he has put in work and I hope he can fill the role he was made for coming off the bench. Would be great to have his experience and leadership out there but he needs to be an effective shooter to warrant much playing time. Tonight was a very positive sign for him.

* Miller and Bledsoe both played really well in spurts. There were times when both looked like the best guy on the court which is exciting and really saying something. I didn't understand it entirely, but Bledsoe seemed to be sulking a bit in the second half. Then the next time down the floor he would make a great play. I am not going to speculate on the slight inconsistencies they both showed as they both showed a lot of their ability albeit in stretches.

* Cousins and Orton both looked good. Orton might get five dunks a game in this offense. You could really tell they have been instructed to attack the rim aggressively for offensive rebounds and Orton excels at this. Cousins showed a great floor game and I can't imagine there are too many Centers that can stay in front of him on defense.

* We also got a great look from Cousins on a back door pass to Patterson for a dunk. We haven't gotten that part of the offense down pat just yet, but there were definite signs in this department. We don't have to do it every time down the court, but it is a beautiful play to watch and so refreshing compared to our jumbled offense of the past several years.

* Hood looked about like what you would expect at this point. Had a little bit of trouble when he had more ball handling duties in the first half because Wall and Bledsoe were on the same team, but looked pretty good alongside the true PG Wall. He might not get a ton of PT this year, but he is going to be a good one eventually.

* Liggins and Stevenson both still had some bad habits they need to get rid of, but both also showed a lot of good things. Both will be in the game more for what they can do on defense and in the transition game. I was slightly disappointed with the way Liggins played, but he gave a great effort and did look a lot more comfortable out there. Bad thing with him is that he still looks like a freshman, but I think that is somewhat to be expected when you see what kind of year he had last year under Billy G.

* Harrelson showed why he is the king of the exhibitions. He stuffed the stat sheet and will definitely have some kind of a role this year. As well as he played, he isn't getting in front of Orton, Cousins, and Patterson though. With the pace we play I have to believe there are some minutes available for him at some point in the season.

* Loved how Calipari carried the whistle. Just was a cool thing to do and he again seemed like the coolest guy in the room. Also a classy move getting Joe B Hall the love. All in all was a great first look at the Cats.