Lineups We’d Like To See This Season

Cyclone Bingo will undoubtedly contain the words “depth” and “versatility” this winter. Ask any national basketball writer/talking head and those will be the first things they mention about Iowa State. Those buzzwords make basketball writers more excited than Jon Rothstein on March 1st or Bill Self when another Adidas school gets busted for paying recruits.

It’s no secret that the 8-2 Iowa State Cyclones are about to receive extra reinforcements and added depth in Solomon Young and Lindell Wigginton this month. Lindell is expected to jump right back into the starting lineup, which would theoretically consist of Nick Weiler-Babb, Talen Horton-Tucker, Marial Shayok, Michael Jacobson, and Lindell. The key to contending in the Big 12 will be to find lineups that work and making all the pieces fit together. We here at WRNL are happy to lend a hand with some lineup ideas we’d like to see at some point.

All Wings

Wigginton-Haliburton-THT-Lewis-Shayok

I love this idea. Who is stopping this offensive lineup? We may give up more points inside, but will exhaust big men in a hurry.

“2 Big” Lineups

Haliburton-Shayok-Lewis-Jacobson-Lard

Wigginton-Babb-Haliburton-Jacobson-Young

Michael Jacobson has to be on the floor if we’re running 2 bigs, thanks to his shooting ability. The wings are interchangeable. We know Prohm will have to roll with something like this against teams with good big men.

Zone-Buster

Haliburton-Wigginton-Lewis-THT-Lard

3 good shooters, a matchup nightmare, and a big that can run the floor. Could be really useful against a zone defense or when we really want to turn up the tempo.

Youth Movement

Haliburton-Wigginton-Lewis-THT-Conditt

3 freshman, 2 sophomores. Give the old guys a rest. John Calipari would run this lineup all year if he could. George Conditt makes Sag Konate jealous with his block percentage.

All Offense

Haliburton-Wigginton-THT-Shayok-Jacobson

Jacobson is looking like the most polished offensive big man on the team. Shayok and Horton-Tucker can both attack the rim. Wigginton is the most gifted scorer on the team. Haliburton is looking like the best option to run the point. If we fall behind 15 points early, throw these guys out to make it up.

All Defense

Haliburton-Wigginton-Babb-Shayok-Young

This is probably the best defensive lineup we can create. Haliburton, Babb, and Shayok all average more than 1 steal per game. Solomon Young is the most proven interior defender on the team. Wigginton is more than capable of carrying an extra scoring load.