IU mixing, matching of lineups kept it in game vs. a contender. Can Hoosiers replicate it?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — With 7-foot center Kel’el Ware out of the lineup last Friday, Indiana coach replaced him with center Payton Sparks. Sparks — who isn’t the shooting threat Ware is — played 29 minutes alongside big man Malik Reneau, which clogged the paint in Indiana’s 91-79 loss to the Badgers.

Ware’s right ankle injury kept him sidelined against No. 11 Illinois on Saturday, but this time, Sparks wasn’t the next man up. Woodson instead opted to start forward Anthony Walker for Ware, placing Reneau at center.

It was a stark change for the Hoosiers. Sparks saw only two minutes of action, as Woodson and his staff decided to downsize. The decision led to one of IU’s best defensive showings of the season, albeit in a 70-62 loss.

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Illinois (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) plays a style that certainly influenced IU’s (12-8, 4-5) lineups. The Fighting Illini utilize Coleman Hawkins — who’s been a forward for most of his four-year career in Champaign — as their starting center. Dain Dainja has gone from starting 21 games at center for Illinois in 2022-23 to logging six total minutes in the team’s past two outings.

Illinois’ starting lineup consisting of five players who stand 6-5 to 6-10 allows coach Brad Underwood to employ a switch-heavy defensive style. On the other end, the Illini are comfortable running post-ups for any and all players on the court.

The progressive style of Illinois, plus Ware’s injury, made Woodson adjust. Sans the two minutes Sparks played, Reneau or Walker was always the center for Indiana.

“All Big Ten teams are not small playing like that,” Woodson said. “Illinois pretty much is the only team that plays like that, so they force your hand.”

Throughout his tenure, Woodson has been relucted to play smaller lineups. He inherited a roster with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson down low for Woodson’s first two seasons. Woodson then constructed a team built around Reneau and Ware’s scoring.

Under Woodson, starting forwards Miller Kopp and Mackenzie Mgbako have almost exclusively played at small forward despite being capable of sliding to the power forward spot.

The flow of Saturday’s game forced the Hoosiers to get creative with lineups. At one point in the second half, IU surrounded Reneau with four guards: Gabe Cupps, Xavier Johnson, Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal. That combination of guards hadn’t played together all year.

Indiana’s mixing and matching of lineups kept it in the game against a Big Ten contender. The Hoosiers flew around the court defensively, as they made timely switches and rebounded well enough. Indiana never let Illinois’ offense look comfortable because so many actions were shut down before they began.

“It went perfect,” Mgbako said of IU’s switching concepts. “I mean, we didn’t come up with the win, but I feel like our defense was on point today.”

On offense, the smaller units forged wider driving lanes for IU’s guards. Johnson and Galloway both made multiple shots at the rim because there wasn’t always a help defender lurking. Johnson had 14 points and was 6-for-9 on 2-pointers, while Galloway scored eight and was 4-for-7 on 2s in what felt like a rare solid game for both guards.

The Hoosiers playing with more spacing didn’t lead to more shots made from outside. Indiana went 0-for-9 on 3s.

Heading into Saturday, Indiana had been shooting much better from deep. But it’s much easier to drill low-stakes jumpers when trailing by double digits than to make shots in a tug-of-war affair on the road. Indiana couldn’t muster a single long-range shot, and it ultimately led to a third straight defeat.

Despite the loss and 3-point scarcity, IU had its best display against a ranked opponent since its close loss to Kansas on Dec. 16. This is still far from an NCAA tournament team, but Woodson may have discovered some lineup versatility IU can resort to even when Ware returns.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana basketball: Mike Woodson's small ball gives Illinois fits