'You Got to Remember How You Got the Lead and Not Celebrate So Soon' Mike Woodson Said
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Mike Woodson addressed the media in a postgame press conference following Indiana's 80-77 loss to No. 5-seed Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Read his full transcript, or watch the attached video of the full press conference.
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Tough loss, gentlemen. I mean, you've got to give Iowa credit, they kept banging away, and we had some miscues coming down the stretch defensively I think that cost us, but I'm so thrilled and happy with our ball club and the way we compete.
Again, we've been in this position so much this season that, you know, these sting a little bit, but we'll get over this and get ready for tournament play if we are selected to play in the tournament.
Q: On making strides this weekend...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Yeah, this team has made major strides this weekend. You know, again, we're battled tested. We been in so many games and the games that we have come up short, it's been tough, but our guys have always responded and we'll respond again after this one tonight.
This stings a little bit because we played well enough to win the game. You know, what I kind of told our guys after the game was when you go up 10, you got to remember how you got the lead and not celebrate so soon. That's the whole part of trying to learn how to win, and we're still working in that, in that area.
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, it was huge. When I took the job, there were about seven, eight other players that didn't raise their hand that day to stay on board. So I had to do some damage control, start recruiting.
I started at the top with our best player at the time, which was Trayce. After sitting down with him and watching film and he deciding to stay, that was the first big piece to the puzzle and we just started piecing around him.
Q. On the momentum the Hoosiers picked up...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, again, this team hadn't been in postseason play for a very long time, so these guys are excited about that, and they should be. I'm excited for them because they worked their butts off this year to put themselves in this position.
But again, until the committee says Indiana's going to the tournament, we're still sitting here waiting to hear those words, but these guys are very excited about that if that possibly will happen.
Q. On defensive miscues...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, the biggest three was Bohannon making when he broke free at the top. He was wide open. It was Miller and X that just didn't communicate. They came together on the screen and both went to the guy that went low and left. Hell, one of the best shooters in the country wide open and he made us pay.
Q. On Keegan Murray...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: He's the real deal. The NBA's going to love him. No, he's a load. I mean, there's just nothing he can't do with the basketball in his hand. He's a pretty good defender, and he rebounds the ball in terms of his height and length, so I mean, I think the sky's the limit for him.
I think he's going to be just fine and a good NBA team is going to really love him. He's played well.
Q. On the Hoosiers' good looks...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: That's kind of how we've been all year. Guys, we've had a lot of good looks from the perimeter. There were a lot of wide open looks tonight, we just didn't make them and that's a part of basketball.
I mean, I got to keep positioning our guys. When Trayce is being double teamed, our guys have got to step up and make shots. I thought Iowa made shots when they had open looks and we struggled to make them tonight in that area.
Q. On what this tournament can do for Jackson-Davis's confidence...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, it's been huge. For him to come back home here in Indianapolis and play the way he's played, it's been great for not only him but for his teammates around him and the coaches and all that work with him.
It's been great. I mean, when we going to need him to continue to play that way as we enter the tournament play if we're selected because, I mean, he's kind of been our horse all year in terms of playing inside-out basketball.
It's been great. I think he's pretty pleased in terms of how he's played because he's played well.
Q. On what clicked for Johnson...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, I think he's comfortable now and maybe he wasn't too comfortable early on with me kind of in his ear a lot, but I was just trying to get him to play the right way and he's done that here the last eight to 10 games.
He's really played his butt off. I'm so happy for him, man, because he's caught more from me than anybody on the team and we're benefiting from it, his teammates are benefiting from it. And we're playing the kind of basketball that I kind of envisioned playing and he's had a lot to do with it.
Q. On who Keegan Murray reminds Coach of...
COACH MIKE WOODSON: Oh, I don't really compare players. I think it wouldn't be fair to that young man. He has a pretty good all-around game himself already and I think the league, NBA guys kind of know that. I mean, he's kind of put himself out there this year in terms of players throughout the country. I mean, he's been consistent and solid all the way through their season. He's going to be a good NBA player, I know that.
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- WHAT JACKSON-DAVIS AND JOHNSON SAID: Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and guard Xavier Johnson address the Hoosiers' 80-77 loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. Read their full transcripts, or watch the attached video of the entire press conference. CLICK HERE.
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