**10:18 p.m.**: I think the key nugget from after the game was Bill Self putting to rest speculation as to why Brady Morningstar didn’t play tonight.”We’re considering redshirting Brady,” he said. “I have visited with Brady and his family. We haven’t made a decision yet, and the decision is not mine. I have an opinion, but the decision is certainly Brady and his family’s decision. Brady came to me today and said ‘Coach, I haven’t made up my mind 100 percent, but I’d rather not play and forfeit my redshirt year in case I decide to do it next week.’ And the thing that I’ve told Brady, I think Brady can help us. But when Brandon comes back and if he is 100 percent, there’s some talented guys right now that are probably ahead of him, and that’s something he needs to think about.”He makes a great point in that playing time will be at a premium with Collins, Chalmers, Robinson, Reed and Rush all ahead of him (once Rush returns). The decision truly must be up to Brady, because it’s his age he has to think about. He’ll turn 22 during this season, which would mean if he redshirted, he’d turn 23 as a redshirt sophomore, 24 as a junior and 25 as a senior. True, many people would love to play KU basketball for five years, but whether he wants to be doing so at the age of 25 is a tough choice.**8:58 p.m.**: I’ve got to say that the biggest surprise of the night would be a tie between Rodrick Stewart’s 10-of-12 showing from the free throw line (he was 3-of-11 all last year) and the basketball IQ newcomers Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed have shown.Reed might have a tough time getting a good amount of playing time behind Russell Robinson, Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers. It’ll be even tougher once Brandon Rush is back. But he looks the part and he appears to not be flustered in front of 16,300. Aldrich is a little more raw, but he showed some nice ability in terms of post moves in limited opportunities tonight.I’ll be back in a big with some postgame nuggets after the interviews are all done.**8:32 p.m.**: The one thing that always stands out on the first night of the year is how physically different everyone looks.Darrell Arthur looks obviously bulked up. Sherron Collins and Darnell Jackson both look notably slimmer.Collins’ physical change might be the most important one for the Jayhawks. The last time we saw him on the floor in a game was against UCLA in the Elite Eight – a game he had to tough out through a painful knee ailment. Staying at a consistent, lower-than-ever weight this season could be pivotal for him.So far, he’s shown incredible bounciness, with 12 points, two steals and six assists.But again, just an exhibition.**8:13 p.m.**: I’m not gonna be one to bag on a team too much in its first appearance on the floor of the season, but the free throw woes have stuck out for KU so far tonight, with KU going just 14-of-24 so far.While Mario Chalmers has looked good with 14 points, I think the best overall performaer has been Sherron Collins in terms of looking comfortable and getting it done on both ends. He had eight points, didn’t take silly shots and has five assists. He seems to have a nice connection so far with Sasha Kaun.**7:45 p.m.**: Mario Chalmers is shooting as though he’s on set for a [McDonald’s commercial with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird][1].But outside of Chalmers, no one has really stepped up in a consistent fashion for KU on offense. Darrell Arthur has yet to find the bottom of the net in terms of hitting a field goal. He’s only nailed a couple of free throws.He may get an early seat tonight with the rest of the regulars, but it’d be nice to see him get going at some point before then.**7:31 p.m.**: Mario Chalmers has been the spark plug so far for KU. Actually, the offense has flowed smoothly when the three-guard lineup has been present. That was highlighted even more when two of the three (Collins and Chalmers) took breathers.Chalmers has a game-high nine points so far, and his three-point shot has looked spot-on.Cole Aldrich and Tyrel Reed have set foot on the floor for the first time as Jayhawks with just under nine minutes to go until the break.**7:21 p.m.**: Well, so much for there being any rust early on for the Jayhawks. Not only had the Jayhawks scored with relative ease early on (as they should), but the defensive pressure in the backcourt has been pretty impressive.The defense has stayed solid, but turnovers have begun to creep up on the offensive end as the starters began taking rests.No sign of any of the freshmen yet, though.**7:03 p.m.**: KU has gone with the small guard-filled lineup (Chalmers, Robinson, Collins) to start the game’s first season. Oughta be fun.**3:26 p.m.**: OK, so I’m technically not _in_ the Fieldhouse just yet, but it’s been such a slow afternoon that it’s worth starting this blog a tad early, before riding over to the game with GB.I for one have been questioning just how much the added weight to KU’s non-conference schedule is going to benefit the Jayhawks down the road. KU will play 15 games before the Big 12 season begins in Lincoln, Neb., on Jan. 12. The Jayhawk administration set up intriguing clashes with Arizona (home), USC, Boston College and Georgia Tech (all away).Looking back 20 years on KU’s last championship team in 1987-88, they didn’t start their season until Nov. 27. Now, of course, with how much money flows through the NCAA river, that’s impossible to do these days. Last year, including exhibitions, KU played just as many games before the conference season as it will this season. But those games are packed into a window that is seven days tighter this time around.Anyways, here are some things I’ll be looking for tonight in the exhibition showing…**-Is Darrell Arthur really a changed player?**. We’ve all heard about how the sophomore forward is going to be a more aggressive force inside this year, opting to get as close to the rack as possible rather than fading away. But what I’ll be looking for is how his _passing_ has changed. As a freshman, it was non-existent. That wasn’t a problem when he was hanging up big numbers in the point column early in the year, but as his struggles progressed starting at about the season’s mid-way mark, he was forcing offense and neglecting teammates rather than getting the ball in their hands and taking what he could get. Arthur had just 17 assists last season in 721 minutes on the floor. That’s one dish per 42.4 minutes. He said at media day that he’s changed his ways. We’ll see. If he’s going to fill in for the vacant versatility Julian Wright brought before leaving for the NBA, passing the ball more frequently will have to be part of that, as Arthur readily admits he doesn’t have the ball-handling skills Wright possessed.**-Is Sherron Collins going to avoid a slow start?** Once the sophomore guard got going last season, he was as dangerous offensively as any in the league. Collins can get to the basket and protect the ball, or he can stroke the deep jumper. He was the brightest offensive spot during the 20-minute scrimmage on Late Night, and appears to be in outstanding shape. He could be one of the nation’s breakout stars this winter should he display his full-throttle instant offense consistently.**-How will the three ‘little guards’ look together?** With Brandon Rush out until probably December, the three-guard offense of Collins, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson will probably get more play in the non-conference season than it will later on. Bill Self even hinted at putting those three on the floor with 6-foot-4 Rodrick Stewart at power forward, which could be one of the more entertaining lineups in the Big 12, athletically-speaking.**-The darkhorse breakout performer of the year is…** I’m predicting it’ll be Stewart. Since transferring from Southern Cal, he’s grown slowly. By the end of last season, Stewart had developed into a nice defensive stop-gap to be used minutes at a time. But the Seattle native is just too athletic to keep off the floor an entire night. If you’ve seen him warmup or watched him dunk before practices, you know he can get up. He also has the ability to be an all-league defensive performer. He’ll get his chance to shine here early in the season with Rush out. If he can make enough of a case, he’ll get good minutes once Rush is back, too.**-And finally…** I want to see how Tyrel Reed looks in his first actual game experience at Allen Fieldhouse. He’s dreamed of tonight since he was a kid, and he showed over the summer in scrimmages that he’s both tough enough and athletically skilled enough to hang with the big kids. The rookies will get plenty of play in a game like this, which is sure to be a blowout by the time the fans are reminded that KU is not just a football school (sorry, couldn’t resist). He has a chance to move up the rotation a couple of rungs, I would think, with strong early showings. I’m sure he won’t be treating it as an exhibition.Now you tell me (in the comment area below). What will you be looking for tonight? Let us discuss it leading up to tip-off… [1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oACRt-Qp-s
