WILDCAT HOOPS: UA 92, Augustana 76, final

UPDATED 9 P.M. -- The work-in-progress Arizona Wildcats passed their first test, defeating Augustana 92-76 in the squad's first exhibition game on Wednesday night.

Jamelle Horne led all Arizona scorers with 19 points on 6-10 shooting along with 10 boards in just 21 minutes of play.

During the post-game press conference, head coach Sean Miller praised Horne's game without even being prompted by a question.

"Jamelle was often the best guy on the court tonight," MIller said. "He played like he's been performing in practice. It has all the makings of a terrific junior year for him. I love the way he played tonight."

Derrick Williams (14, 5-6 shooting, including a second-half dunk-fest before leaving with a twisted ankle), Kevin Parrom (12 points, 5 boards), and Nic Wise (12 points, 5 assists, 19 minutes) were the other double-digit scorers for the Cats. Wise's time was limited due to that ankle injury.

"We're obviously a much better team with Nic out there," Miller said.

Auguustana's Cody Shilling led all scorers with 25 points. Cameron McCaffrey scored 16, but missed 12 of his 17 shots. Lee stephens added 12.

Arizona shot 55 percent as a team, while holding Augustana to 37.5 percent. The Cats held a 41-34 rebounding advantage, but considering the opponent, that's not a very big margin. Freshman Solomon hill grabbed 7 boards in his 19 miuntes, and Kyryl Natyazhko added 6, but Augustana pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.

In addition, the Wildcats were whistled for 24 fouls, and Miller was quite discouraged with the fact that Augustana played Arizona to a standstill in the second half, 42-42.

"That second half is a much better reflection of where we're at, good and bad," Miller said. "We were out of position quite often on defense, which led to all those fouls."

The Wildcats' five freshman each had their moments, good and bad. Natyazhko is awfully skilled for a freshman big man, but his defensive intensity and his boxing out need to improve. Williams is a freak athlete, but appears lost at times on defense. MoMo Jones is explosive, but his shot selection could stand to improve (2-8 tonight). Hill has a chance to be the best player of the bunch (his all-around skills are highly advanced), but he can get careless with the ball. Parrom is a sweet shooter and a terrific ball-handler, but his on-ball defense has a ways to go.

Nine Wildcats saw double-digit minutes, with Miller subbing in new players seemingly at every dead ball. Even though Wise, Horne, Natyazhko, Brendon Lavender and Jones started the game, Miller said he expects to go nine or 10 deep on his rotation.

UA will be back in action on Tuesday night, when it takes on Western New Mexico at 7 p.m.

UPDATED 8:40 P.M. -- The scrappy Augustana Vikings won't let this game become a blowout, but the Wildcats seem to have this one under control.

I don't know if it's because the Cats are playing such a small school, but they're collective athleticism is eye-opening. Miller went 5-for-5 on his freshman class -- an incredible feat, considering the circumstances.

As long as this squad figures out how to fix its team defense, it's going to make some noise in the Pac-10.

There was a stretch around the 15-minute mark when Derrick Williams threw down a thunderous dunk on three of four possessions. That kid is just scratching the surface of his abilities. He kind of reminds me of Horne when he first game in -- all the talent in the world, but extremely raw.

UPDATED 8 P.M. -- Thanks to superior athleticism and talent, Arizona is up big at halftime, but Sean Miller can find plenty to discuss with his team in the locker room.

It's not like sloppy play wasn't expected. The squad has looked terrific on the offensive end, but defensively, UA still has a ways to go. There isn't a whole lot of communication, particularly with the interior defenders. The guards' quick hands have led to five steals, but Augustana's post players are having some success establishing decent position on the block.

In addition, the smaller Augustana squad is holding its own on the boards, with UA owning only a 19-18 advantage.

Of course, it's easy to nitpick with this young squad. There is a lot to like about the new-look Wildcats.

Miller has shuffled his players in and out of the game like it's a hockey game. Nine players have seen eight or more minutes of action, with MoMo Jones leading the way with 15. Jamelle Horne leads a balanced scoring attack with 10 points, followed by Nic Wise (9), Kevin Parrom (8), Jones (6) and Derrick Williams (5). Arizona is shooting 57.9 percent from the floor, including a stellar 5-9 from deep.

UPDATED 7:25 P.M. -- With 11:57 remaining in the first half, Arizona's athleticism is on full display, as the Cats have opened up a 12-point lead.

Jamelle Horne leads all scorers with 7, but it's not really about stats in an exhibition game. A few quick thoughts:

* It's clear now what Sean Miller was concerned about on defense. Slow rotations, missed assignments, low-percentage gambles. Kyryl Natyazhko got caught out of position helping on a high screen early on, and Derrick Williams is struggling to defend entry passes.

* On offense, this is going to be a much more exciting squad than anticipated. We all know what Nic Wise can do, but Solomon Hill is outstanding. UA's top-rated prospect (according to Rivals.com) might be the best passing forward this squad has seen since Luke Walton. I'd seen Hill play in a couple of AAU tournaments, and his skill-set is impressive. I was worried about his preseason weight gain, but Hill looks close to his proper playing weight and is attacking every time he gets the ball.

* Kevin Parrom is another fantastic freshman who is going to play big minutes for the Cats. He has a sweet shooting stroke and can comfortably handle the ball anywhere on the floor.

* The aforementioned Williams might be the most athletic guy on the team. It's either him or Horne. Williams can get away with sloppy technique in this game because he's just too athletic for Augustana, but he'll need to get sharper when the Cats take on bigger schools.

* Miller has used 10 players in the game thus far. Still no signs of Kyle Fogg, though.

UPDATED 7 P.M. -- We’re just moments away from tipping off the Sean Miller era.

I don’t think anyone knows what to expect, but this could be among the most fascinating seasons in UA history. Even the tumultuous last few years were anchored by sure-fire NBA talent. This year’s squad is a work in progress on every level, but there is still terrific talent here, as well as some intriguing freshmen.

Senior Nic Wise (the lone player on this roster who played while Lute Olson was coach) is a game-time decision tonight with a pesky ankle injury. Miller was tight-lipped about what starting line-up we’d see tonight, and made it clear that this won’t necessarily be the starting five he’ll use when the Cats open the season against Northern Arizona on Nov. 15.

Starting tonight:

There’s a decent crowd here, considering that most sports fans are likely watching Game 6 of the World Series right now. However, the Zona Zoo (UA’s student section) is surprisingly lacking, with that area of seating half-full at best.

While it’d be foolish to pick tiny Augustana to win this game, the Wildcats need to be careful. Few thought Le Moyne would beat No. 25 Syracuse on Tuesday night, and look how that turned out. Even though Arizona’s record will still be 0-0 regardless of tonight’s outcome, Miller certainly doesn’t need to deal with the PR nightmare that’d result in a loss tonight.