With many questions going into the 2006-07 season, little answers are less likely to follow Sunday’s 2 p.m. exhibition home opener against Chicago Odyssey.

Eastern head coach Brady Sallee views the two-game exhibition schedule as glorified practices against another team. He contends the focus will not be on the win or the loss, but on the overall state of his team and trying to figure out what combination is most successful.

Many players look at the preseason as a necessary evil, but with six freshmen or transfers on the roster and the installation of a new offense, it gives the Panthers a chance to see what they’ve been working on during the last three weeks.

“I think they’re more ready than me,” Sallee said of his players. “I know they’re tired of facing each other everyday, so it’ll give them a chance to bang on somebody else, and it gives us a chance to try our stuff against other people.”

The “stuff” that Sallee speaks of is the new offense that’s been put in place. With the new offense designed to leave one player in the post with four players in motion, it gives Sallee an opportunity to see how far along his team has come.

He admits to not having a set rotation for Sunday’s game, but expect to see last year’s three returning sophomores, Rachel Galligan, Megan Edwards and Ellen Canale, in the starting lineup.

After that, it’s anybody’s guess. Including Sallee’s.

“I haven’t even thought of a rotation that would start (Sunday),” Sallee said. “The key is to get them game ready for the opener against Bradley. Whoever starts Sunday doesn’t mean they’ll start the opener.”

One of those players that will likely get a long look from the coaching staff is freshman guard Ashley Thomas.

Sallee says Thomas and fellow freshman guard Jessica Huffman have stood out in practice, looking “more and more ready to go.”

“I think (Sunday’s game) will be a good opportunity to see where I am,” Thomas said. “Practice has gone really well lately. Personally, this will be a good chance to see how far I’ve come.

Thomas says the biggest difference from high school to college is the amount of intensity each practice carries.

“It’s helped me handle adversity a lot better,” Thomas said.

If last year is any indication, Sallee has shown that he is not afraid to start freshmen.

“There’s a great possibility that a few of them could start,” he said. “We’ve got some talented people in that group.”

While the opponent doesn’t necessarily matter in the preseason, the Panthers will likely face their toughest opposition all year.

The Odyssey features former college players, with ages ranging from 24- to 26-years-old.