Friars Journal: Switch to smaller lineup throws off Creighton

Hide captionNEW YORK — When you’ve seen an opponent as often as the Friars have matched up with Creighton, it’s sometimes necessary to throw a bit of a curveball.

That’s what PC coach Ed Cooley decided to do when he chose to go with a small lineup right from the opening tip in the Big East quarterfinals. Always looking for a matchup advantage, Cooley shuffled his starting five and went smaller with guard Maliek White replacing center Kalif Young. The move paid off as the Friars not only out-rebounded the Bluejays (45-39) but also used their improved collective quickness to throw off one of the country’s high-powered offenses.

“Maliek’s a great ball-handler so it meant we had an extra…