COUGARS

We're sitting at midcourt in Beasley waiting for the teams to come out for pregame warmup, so we thought we would share our thoughts. Remember, they're free. And mom always said you get what you pay for. Read on.
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• I had a chance to watch IPFW play their opener against Wisconsin on ESPN. What I saw was a well-coached, disciplined team that moves the ball well and has the potential to shoot well. They didn't in that game and got overwhelmed by the Badgers, 75-46. There were also 17,230 in the stands that night, a far cry from the number that will be in here tonight. ... Deilvez Yearby didn't play against UW, and he is the Mastodons' leading scorer – and probably their best player. The 6-foot-6 Kansas State transfer wants to score – he had 20 in 15 minutes against Madonna in IPFW's second game – and will probably put up 15 or more shots tonight. ... Ben Botts has hit just one of his first four 3-pointers this year, but he's a better shooter than that. Both he and Zach Palckemeier shot better than 40 percent last season. ... One key for the Cougars tonight, and might be a key all season, is DeAngelo Casto staying out of foul trouble. The Mastodons do a good job of ball-faking, so Casto will have to hold his ground. He's shown that ability in the past, so expect it again tonight.

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• That's it for now. We'll be back at halftime. Until then …

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