This. The time for trying out 10-12 players is during the pre-conference when you get the opportunity to play multiple line-ups. Playing 10-12 players in mid-season means you have failed as a coach to come up with your 7-8 core players that are going to suck up every minute except for trash time at the end of a game. And right now...Lard (and Wiggs) need as much time as they can get given their situations...
This isn’t trying out 10-12.
It’s 8-9 and that’s a significant difference, particularly when #7 has proven to be extremely foul prone.
For a team that many say prioritizes small ball and positionless basketball at the 1-4, it’s surprising that the healthy Talley we saw last year doesn’t have a role this year, particularly given the struggles of a couple of the guys in the rotation. Given the suspension of Talley and the recruiting accolades of his competition, there’s likely a non-basketball component to it.
It’s not a huge deal, but there were opportunities to get bench guys more minutes. It’s a long play that some coaches don’t recognize or utilize.