Mike Woodson to go by ‘feel’ when it comes to the starting lineup of Indiana basketball moving forward

Indiana basketball is coming off a overtime thriller of a win when the Hoosiers traveled to Columbus to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes 77-76 to get their 2nd Quad 1 win of the season.

This was one of the very few games this season that Indiana basketball showed consistent fight and toughness while finding a way to win through adversity. A big reason to that is because Mike Woodson decided to shake things up a bit when it came to his rotation and starters on the floor.

To provide a spark from the jump, Mike Woodson inserted senior guard Anthony Leal into the starting group alongside with Myles Rice, Luke Goode, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Oumar Ballo. Leal replaced fellow senior guard Trey Galloway, who had struggled just a bit as of late.

The reason for this change in the starting unit was not only forced due to this season, but going back to last season when Leal had one of his best performances as a Hoosier. Just like last year at Ohio State with the game winning three in the corner, Leal came up with another huge play in the final seconds to get the win for Indiana basketball, only this time on the defensive end.

“Going back to last year, when we played here and the kind of game he had, I just wanted to shake things up a bit, said Mike Woodson after the Ohio State win. “I thought he answered the bell. He got the big defensive stop. Last year, he hit a big three here to help seal it. Coming down the stretch, he made a great defensive stance to help us get another victory tonight.”

Leal has always been a player that has been ready to produce whenever his name was called. As of late, the starting unit of the Hoosiers has really struggled to maintain consistent play from the tip. Sophomore forward Mackenzie Mgbako has only produced 4.0 points in the last 4 games and Trey Galloway has widely inconsistent as a starter. While Mgbako continued to struggle in the Ohio State win, Trey Galloway played a little bit better coming off the bench.

Things will get interesting in the coming week with the impending return of junior forward Malik Reneau so it will be interesting to see if he gets his starting spot back or accept a role off the bench. Regardless, Mike Woodson says that he will go off feel moving forward when it comes to his starting until.

“It’s all by feel to determine where I’m going and what I’m going to do moving forward,” Mike Woodson added.

The Hoosiers are on the road on Wednesday when they travel to Northwestern in another must-win game.

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