Tubby Smith says he might change starting lineup

Indianapolis, Ind. - The16th-ranked Gophers (16-5, 5-4 Big Ten) went with a big lineup for the second game in a row. But the setup didn't work during a 73-61 loss at 12th-ranked Purdue (18-4, 7-2 Big Ten) the way it did against Northwestern Wednesday.

After Saturday's loss, Gophers coach Tubby Smith said he will consider new starting lineups for upcoming games.

I won't be surprised if he makes a switch for Wednesday's road game at Indiana. With eight available scholarship players, however, the Gophers don't have many alternatives.

But Blake Hoffarber is a different player when he plays on the wing. He's probably the team's best option at point guard with Al Nolen out due to a broken foot.

Teams, however, will use Purdue's game plan as a blueprint. They'll pressure Hoffarber and try to make other perimeter players beat them. The problem is that Hoffarber has been the only consistent outside scorer for this team. The Gophers might need his offense more than they need his ballhandling.

Here are a few changes we could see with future starting lineups:

Option No. 1

Option No. 2

PG Williams, SG Hoffarber, F Mbakwe, F/C Sampson and C Iverson-Before you call me crazy, read what Tubby Smith told me about Williams Friday: "He's probably the guy that's gotta get in better shape than anybody on the team because ... we play him at four, we play him at three, we play him at two. He may end up at point guard some." I think this lineup is a long shot. Williams isn't a point guard, either. But Smith threw out the possibility playing him there. Would it work? Not sure. He was an inside guy in high school. And he's had his struggles in a transition to the wing. But he has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last five games. Plus, Smith mentioned the slim possibility. He's long. Maybe he'd be more aggressive if the controlled the ball. I know it's a reach. I doubt it will ever happen.

Option No. 3

PG Austin Hollins, SG Hoffarber, F Mbakwe, F/C Sampson and C Iverson-Kudos to my predecessor Jeff Shelman, who threw out the idea of moving Hollins to point guard a few months ago. He's a smart player. He's a feisty defender and his size would create more mismatches for the Gophers on offense. Again, Hoffarber moves to the wing in this alignment and the size remains. Not sure about Hollins as a fulltime ballhandler.

Option No. 4

Option No. 5

PG Hoffarber, SG Hollins, SF Williams, PF Mbakwe and C Sampson-Hoffarber stays at point, but Hollins starts on the wing. Hollins can score (potentially) from outside and take some of the attention away from Hoffarber. Williams goes back to being the inside-outside G/F in the starting rotation. But the Gophers lose some size with Iverson coming off the bench.

Option No. 6

PG Ahanmisi, SG Hoffarber, SF Williams, PF Mbakwe and C Iverson-Similar to Option No. 4, except Williams stays in the starting rotation.

Option No. 7