When KY demands more spacing than the players were used to playing, their adjustment becomes easier when they link it to crisp passing and hard cuts.

With heavy drilling on 3 point shooting on spots the coaches and the analytics have earmarked for each guy, if they are spaced out far enough, the shot can go up just as the pass is received — unless the defender is long and quick.

The added spacing, the disciplined shooting drills, the hard cuts, the passing makes it tougher on the opponent to defend, because if they need to use the full clock, the system creates an open shot sooner or later. Pedal to the metal.

We got used to shooting 3's and cutting and passing with Coach Pope, but we may be seeing this kicked into a higher NBA-like gear. I thought Coach Pope's team had excellent spacing on the whole, but maybe their are NBA nuances that an ordinary fan misses.

Watching the highlights several times, I started to notice the fun the guys were having in finding an open man and getting the ball to him in a hurry.

With so many new young guys, I was expecting to see more 'kinks' in a first scrimmage. The early kinks are still there, but we saw a glimmer of a powerful offense that can whack the opponent around with quite a few weapons.

To my eye, it looked like the 6th through 12th best guys in rotation (whatever it works out to be) will be more athletic and skilled than we've seen for awhile.

Not bad for a first scrimmage ...

If that is 'rough edges,' I'm all in.

On Jimmer's team, he had a great supporting cast. While none of our current guys will achieve Jimmer status, this team gives us more options for highly skilled offense.

Once this team finds its groove, they will be a tough out, because of their skill, athleticism and unselfishness to create open shots. Many weapons are tough to defend, when they work together.

It even appeared that several players play the 'D' with an attitude around the rim.

All of this changes the complexion of a tight game in the most competitive conference. When our coaches know 'we need to get a stop NOW' or 'we need a bucket NOW,' we may end up winning a few more of the close ones — especially on the road.

My favorite line in HOOSIERS with seconds to go in the state championship, when the coach was planning to use Jimmy as a decoy, as the players reacted with a 'Are you crazy?' look, Jimmy said,

'I'll make it.'

As this season rolls on, I'll be watching the time out huddles when we need a stop or some points NOW, to see if I sense there is higher confidence as the players learn by experience that coach knows what drills and what effort pays off.

On the football team, Coach Hill has persuaded his defense that he knows what he's doing, and if they dig in and work on things the coach tells them, they are tough to score on.

As fans, we don't have a good objective measure of growing confidence, but we get a sense of it when the defense bends but keeps making plays that need to be made.