Here's What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's Win Over Maryland on Sunday
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media after the Hoosiers' thrilling 83-78 victory over Maryland in College Park, Md. Indiana trailed by 16 points early in the second half before rallying for their second-straight win.
They're now 16-13 on the season and have won back-to-back games for the first time since December.
Here is the full video and transcript from his postgame press conference.
QUESTION: "Mike, that was really a tale of two halves there. What can you say about how the switch got flipped?"
MIKE WOODSON: "Well, we went in at halftime and we had made some adjustments. You know, (Kel'el) Ware didn't give us much in the first half, so I kind of lit into him a little bit. I thought he picked it up in the second half, and everybody else who played in the second half was a big part in us winning.''
Q: "What did you think about the way (Mackenzie) Mgbako played, particularly his 18 (points) in the second half?''
WOODSON: "Well, he made shots, and once he started to make shots, we started running plays to direct the ball to him a little bit more. Our pick-and-roll game was going nicely, and we made threes and made our free throws. We outrebounded our opponent, and that's huge when you talk about going on the road and winning.''
Q: "Woody, you guys shot a good percentage from two-point, you shot a good percentage from the three-point line and you made (10 straight) free throws before (Xavier Johnson) missed that one. Just talk about the shooting today.''
WOODSON: "It's something that we've lacked this season. We've struggled to put the ball in the hole. Tonight it all came together a little bit. I think X had a lot to do with it being out there and taking some of the pressure off of Gabe (Cupps). Gabe got off to a great start for us, but I just thought that X was Xavier Johnson. He did a lot of good things on the floor from a defensive standpoint and controlled the game out front with him and (Trey Galloway), our two seniors. I've missed that this season, I really have.''
Q: "It seemed like this game meant a lot to X, his last game being back close to home. For him to have a game like this, how much did that mean for you guys?''
WOODSON: "It's huge for everybody. It's hard to win on the road in the Big Ten. We've had our struggles this year, but just to have him back out on the floor with his family, and his mother and father and all of his family members here tonight. He had a good showing, and most importantly, we won. That's what counts.''
Q: "Mike, what's it say about the personality of this team to be down by 16 in the second half and still come back and win?''
WOODSON: "We've played a lot of good basketball in spurts, man. I've said that all season long. I would like to think things would have been a lot different if we had had X a lot of those games that we let get away. But we can't look back. We've got to get ready for Minnesota and see where the next games leads us.''
Q: "Now that you've seen what you can do with a full deck these last couple of games, what's it actually been like to come to life to win these games?''
WOODSON: "It's nice to see. I don't think anybody on our team ever stopped believing. We just haven't been able to put together 40-minute games like I envisioned. I thought tonight we played a terrible first half but we never quit. We came out in the second half, and I thought defensively we were tremendous.''
Q: "How good were X and Galloway with their guard play overall, offense, defense, distributing the ball and everything?''
WOODSON: "It was as well as they've played together since I've had them together. These were probably two best games they've had. To see them play together tonight and lead like they did as seniors, that was kind of nice.''
Q: "What does a two-game winning streak do for you now that you've got a full deck of cards?''
WOODSON: "Just take it one game at a time. Minnesota is playing good basketball and we've got to go into another hostile environment and see if we can get a win.''
Q: "You put X back into the game like 90 seconds into the second half. Was there any specific kind of message you were trying to send?''
WOODSON: "He's a senior, man, and I expect him to lead. That's what seniors do. I've been in those shoes and I know what it's like. It's been tough for him. The guy's been hurt. He hasn't been able to play and it's his last year. He can't come back and he has nowhere else to go. So you've got to pat him, and show him some love.''
Q: "How did you sense the momentum flipped in the second half?''
WOODSON: "Our defense was solid. I know we gave up a couple of buckets right there at the end, but we would have probably only given up like 30 points in the half. That gives you a chance to win, especially on the road. We gave up 43 in the first half, and that wasn't Indiana basketball in the first half. But we let them know that at halftime, and I think they responded.''
Related stories on Indiana-Maryland
- INDIANA GAME STORY: Indiana went from 16 down to 11 up in the blink of an eye in the second half, pulling off a thrilling 83-78 victory over Maryland on Sunday. Mackenzie Mgbako had a career-high 24 points, and his four three-pointers played a big part in the victory. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media after the Hoosiers' thrilling 83-78 victory over Maryland in College Park, Md. Indiana trailed by 16 points early in the second half before rallying. Here is the full video and transcript from his postgame press conference. CLICK HERE
- HOW TO WATCH: Indiana continues the 2023-24 season on Sunday against the Maryland Terrapins at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. Here's how to watch, game time and TV information, the point spread and over/under, the coaching matchup, series history, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
- POINT SPREAD: Indiana is back on the road again on Sunday, taking on an up-and-down Maryland team in College Park. The Terrapins, somewhat surprisingly, are a huge favorite. Here's the latest on the point spread, and a great history on both teams vs. the number this season. CLICK HERE
- MEET THE OPPONENT: In year two under coach Kevin Willard, Maryland will miss the NCAA Tournament barring a run to win the Big Ten Tournament despite being picked to finish third in the conference. Here's a full breakdown of Indiana's Sunday opponent, Maryland, led by first-team All-Big Ten candidate Jahmir Young. CLICK HERE
- McNEELEY PLAYING IN CHIPOTLE NATIONALS: Indiana's lone commit in the class of 2024, five-star Liam McNeeley, is scheduled to play in the Chipotle Nationals at Brownsburg High School near Indianapolis from April 4-6. CLICK HERE
