Indiana basketball’s substitution patterns continue to be a major talking point among the fanbase, and IU’s 66-57 road loss at Rutgers on Tuesday night only intensified questions and concerns surrounding Mike Woodson’s use of substitutions.
Indiana basketball’s substitution patterns continue to be a major talking point among the fanbase, and IU’s 66-57 road loss at Rutgers on Tuesday night only intensified questions and concerns surrounding the Hoosiers’ use of substitutions.
With 9:58 remaining in the first half and Indiana leading Rutgers 18-11, IU coach Mike Woodson turned to his bench for the first time in the game. Within 10 minutes of the substitutions, Indiana’s lead evaporated as Rutgers went on 10-2 scoring to reclaim the lead.
During the decisive first-half stretch, Indiana’s lineup at one point consisted of Xavier Johnson, CJ Gunn, Kaleb Banks, Anthony Walker and Payton Sparks — one starter and four bench players. It wasn’t until Rutgers jumped ahead, 23-22, that Woodson reinserted IU’s full starting five back onto the court. But the damage was already done.
After the game, Woodson was asked about the substitution patterns and his decision to take four starters off the court at once.
Below is the full excerpt from Woodson:
“Guys, you can’t play everybody 40 minutes. That whole stretch had went a good 10, 11, 12 minutes, and I thought [the starters] needed a blow. So that’s why I substituted.
“And I feel good about our bench. I need our bench to give us more. So that’s why I went to the bench, and we didn’t get it. [Rutgers] caught up, but the game was back and forth.
“I think when you’re on the road, you got to feel good being down three on the road, or up three. I mean, it could have been a tie game. [Derek Simpson] hits a big-time shot at the buzzer to go up three.
“So I mean, I’m not feeling bad, but I just didn’t like the way we were playing. I mean, we weren’t sacrificing the basketball. Guys were open, we were trying to penetrate when nothing was there, and losing the ball. I mean, that’s just losing basketball. We got to get better in that area.
“… I’m not going to sit here and answer that question when it comes to the fans or you. I elected to go to my bench, which I’ve done this season, and I’ve gotten some good results here and there. And tonight, they didn’t kill us, but they let them back in the game. And I thought we withstood it.
“The big shot at the half I thought gave them momentum going in, but the game was still back and forth. Then [Xavier Johnson] has his little fiasco where he gets kicked out, and that changed the game a little bit.
“So I mean, at the two-minute mark, we were down six [points], two possessions, and we foul. And then we come back and we get an intentional foul. So that’s the game pretty much; now you’re scrambling trying to win down the stretch.
“We just got to be more solid. Like we play at home, that’s how we got to play on the road, and I gotta get us to that.”
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