Hoosier Notebook: Woodson Knows Others Need to Step Up on Friday Night
ALBANY, N.Y. — Trayce Jackson-Davis has been All-American good all season, and freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino hasn't been far behind at point, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
But they can't do it alone, and Indiana coach Mike Woodson knows that everyone needs to step up on Friday night when the Hoosiers take on a very dangerous Kent State team in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament here in Albany, N.Y.
"It's very important. I think, as we continue this journey (Friday), and (Tamar) Bates and Miller Kopp and (Trey Galloway) and (Jordan) Geronimo, the guys that play, Malik (Reneauy), they've all got to give us more,'' Woodson said. "This tournament over the years has been driven by teams that have three and four scorers, two or three guys that can make the long ball consistently.
"We've been good at times in those areas because when Tamar Bates and Gallo and Geronimo and Malik are playing well and scoring the ball, it's a deadly combination with our defense, and we've been damn good when we've been doing that. So that's how we've got to think going into this tournament. Everybody's got to do their part. That's how you advance. Only time will tell.''
C.J. Gunn misses practice with leg soreness
Indiana freshman C.J. Gunn missed Indiana's open practice at MVP Arena in Albany in Thursday, but it's nothing serious. Indiana's media relations folks said it was just a precautionary measure, and that he is dealing with some leg soreness. He is expected to be dressed and ready to go on Friday night if needed.
Gunn, a guard from Indianapolis, has played sparingly for the Hoosiers this season. He has played a total of 150 minutes and has scored 40 points. He's just 2-for-24 from three-point range this season.
First No. 4 seed goes down as Virginia loses to Furman
Lots of people have No. 13 seed Kent State upsetting No. 4 seed Indiana in their brackets on Friday night, and it's not all that uncommon for upsets to happen in the Madness that is March.
It started early on Thursday when Virginia from the ACC, the No. 4 seed in the South Regional, lost to No. 13 seed Furman. Coming into the tournament, the 13 seeds were 31-117 in the 37 years since the 64-team seeding started.
That averages out to just less than one a year, so maybe that's a good sign for the Hoosiers.
"It doesn't really matter. We've still got to go out there and play the game,'' Indiana senior Race Thompson said of people who picked against Indiana in their brackets, including ESPN's lead analyst, Jay Bilas. "People make brackets for fun, so it's all fun. But we're going out there to win the game. That's the goal at the end of the day. It doesn't matter whether people pick us or not. We think we can win any game.''
Hoosiers forward Miller Kopp thinks the same thing.
"I agree. Like Race said, everybody makes a bracket and picks whatever team they think is going to win, whatever it is. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. All that goes out the window when the ball goes up to start the game. So for us, it's about handling what we can control and going from there.''
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- SENSE OF URGENCY: Trayce Jackson-Davis' basketball career at Indiana is one loss away from being over, and no one knows that better than he does. That's why he knows every possession matters on Friday night when the Hoosiers begin their NCAA Tournament journey against Kent State. CLICK HERE
- NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS, PAIRINGS: Here are all the results so far in the NCAA Tournament, along with updated pairings. CLICK HERE
- INDIANA SCHEDULE: Here is the complete Indiana basketball schedule for the 2022-23 season, including links to all the stories from games played so far. CLICK HERE
- TRAYCE SCORING LIST: Indiana senior Trayce Jackson-Davis is now No. 3 on the school's scoring list. He's passed 13 players this year. Here's the complete list of all 54 Hoosiers who have scored 1,000 points or more. CLICK HERE
