I think you go small, we may not see a TON of Young, Brase, Beverly. Should see a lot of Talley, Lewis, Long. Young will get the most action out of the first group, obvi.
I'd start:
C Lard
PF Talley Jr.
SF Lewis
SG Wiggi
PG Donny J
Donny J and Wiggi could easily be flopped, they'll both do plenty of handling. This lineup only based on offensive potential and ball handling capability.
Wiggi and Donny J are good, if not great, ballhandlers, and quick, explosive etc. They are short and I cringe just about everytime they get into the lane, but they can handle the ball and make moves at the very least.
Now I know starting Lewis in a game like this is beyond crazy. But if not now, when? Maybe he's ready for this stage. You have to figure that they've all known that Babb could face some time off for awhile now, and that Prohm has been getting them mentally prepared for that. It is time for Lewis to spread those wings and fly. Wednesday night is the night. Without truly knowing his full capabilities, it's hard to justify this. But they say he has a nice stroke. They say he can take a defender off the dribble. He's got the body you want a 3 to have. He's who i'd throw out there.
Talley Jr. gets the nod at the 4 over Solo. Sorry Solo, you'll still get your shot in this one, but Talley has been playing well, he can handle the rock, plays really solid defense, and is (much) quicker on his feet. Not a knock down shooter or huge offensive threat, but as of late has looked better in that regard. Essentially I put him in over Young simply based on, if you get in a jam against that press, Talley is someone who can effectively help break it if need be. You aren't giving Solo the ball in the backcourt or at midcourt and seeing him do anything with it besides try to get rid of it right away.
Lard at the 5, pretty much a no brainer at this point. Doesn't stretch the floor much with his shot, but will hold the defense accountable as a ball handler and with his presence inside. You'll need someone down there to swat old man Carter's layup attempts.
Minute Distribution would look something like this:
5 - Lard 32, Solo 8
4 - Talley Jr. 30, Solo 8, Brase 2
3 - Lewis 25, Talley Jr. 8, J. Long 5, Beverly 2
2 - Wigginton 30. J. Long 10
1 - Jackson 35, Wigginton 5
Totals - Talley Jr. 38, Wigginton 35, Jackson 35, Lard 32, Lewis 25, Solomon Young 16, J. Long 15, Beverly 2, Brase 2
If I had to pick 2 keys for the game for this lineup it would be:
1) Can Lewis step into the spotlight and play a big role for this team?
2) Can the small ball lineup hold its own against Press Virginia, with Talley carrying a much heavier load on both offense and defense?
It's a long shot, and I'm probably wrong. For all I know, Solo will play a lot to counter WVU's bigs in the paint, which he is good at doing. Talley probably ends up starting and playing at the 3 and Lewis and Long both sit unless fouls become an issue.
But this is the pipe dream I'd throw out there
