Here's What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's 62-61 Win at Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Indiana continued its winning ways on Saturday, doing just enough late to pull out a 62-61 win at Michigan. Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media afterward.
The Hoosiers are now 18-7 on the season and 9-5 in the Big Ten. Here's the full transcript of Woodson's postgame press conference, with the full video as well:
QUESTION: Mike, what's the difference in where you were defensively in the first half when it felt like they were getting to the rim at will and where you are closing the second half, where they go more than five minutes without scoring a point.
MIKE WOODSON: Defensively, they didn't really run off. They had 37 points (at halftime) but they had 21 points at the 10-minute mark of the first half. I was sitting in the timeout, telling the guys if we keep up with this pace, they're going to double that and score 40-something points. They were at 37 and we missed two point-blank layups that could have tied it going into the half, so I felt good from a defensive standpoint. In the second half, it was the same way. Coming down the stretch run, we became so stingy on the defensive end that we refused to give up good looks and they struggled. We didn't do much better, but we got the cushion that we needed from an offensive standpoint to secure it.
Q: This isn't the first time that Trayce has played the whole game or played a lot of minutes like that. What was it you were saying to him throughout the game and how was he able to get through games like this?
WOODSON: Hey listen, I went through a back surgery and came back and played eight games and played 40 minutes a game, each game. He's a young kid, 40 minutes, he can rest tomorrow. He was fantastic today on both ends of the floor having to battle a great player in (Hunter) Dickinson and still be able to do what he did, it just speaks volumes. He's playing unbelievable.
Q: Your thoughts on the offensive contributions that you got from Trayce and from (Jalen Hood-Schifino) tonight.
WOODSON: They were the only ones that were really clicking so we kept them in a lot of pick-and-rolls. Fino was finding his gaps and Trayce had his rolls where he was able to finish along with some of his post-up stuff around the rim. It was the seven guys I played. I shortened the rotation tonight. I just didn't feel comfortable putting the pressure on C.J. (Gunn) or Kaleb (Banks), so we were shorthanded. I rolled with the seven guys and they came through.
Q: Mike, Jalen had some turnover struggles early but he really played well in the second half and made a lot of good decisions. For a freshman like that to bounce back like that, how did you feel about that?
WOODSON: He did have six turnovers, but he's young. From watching film, he'll learn not to take chances, not to be lazy on entry passes to the post and not to be lackadaisical with the ball out front when he's handling it. All those things, with maturity, he'll get better. He played a solid game, and we needed every bit of his 21 points.
Q: Mike, when did Race (Thompson) become unavailable?
WOODSON: He told me on the way over on the bus. In shootaround, he tried to do some things but he was worse coming back on the bus coming over for the game, and he told me he just couldn't go. Hey, what are you going to do? It's next man up and you've got to be ready to go.
Q. Do you think that influenced your defense early in the first half?
WOODSON: No, again, I don't think our defense ... yeah in the first 10 minutes we gave up a lot of points, but from that 10-minute mark on, we gave up 16 points (in the rest of the first half). To me, that's defending from the 9-10 minute mark of the first half all the way through the rest of the game. Our defense was solid. Add 24 (second-half points) on to the 16 and the rest of the way they only scored 40 points.
Q. How much can it help a team when they didn't really play well necessarily for some stretches, but you still win a Big Ten road game?
WOODSON: Guys, look, it's hard on the road. I told those guys in the locker room. This is probably the biggest game since I've been here as a coach that we've won. Because you come out on the road and have to play a team like Michigan that's really good here at home and you get a win. It's huge. It speaks volumes for our ballclub.
Q. Mike, you continue to close out games, which is something that didn't happen last year. You got that done today.
WOODSON: I'm still learning as a coach, man. We had a lot of games last year. that I had us close, that we were in, had leads and I couldn't get them over the hump. They're starting to feel a little bit good about their coach and they're playing for me and that means a great deal. Maybe we can continue to win games like this.
Q: We've asked a lot about Trayce's evolution offensively, but it felt like he was part of a lot of really important defensive plays that last five, seven minutes
WOODSON: Yeah, he was. We get blocked and they come back and he makes a big block. That was huge, probably the biggest play of the game. It got us an opportunity to come back and take the lead. It was a battle. They didn't want to bend, but we were the better team coming down the stretch.
Q: Some people are talking about Trayce Jackson-Davis as a national player of the year candidate. What do you think?
WOODSON: Hey listen, I'm glad he's on our team, because he's done everything you can possibly do playing that position this year for our team. He's been fantastic. We're going to ride riding him and see where it leads us.
Related stories on Indiana basketball
- GAME STORY: Indiana didn't allow a point in the final 5:12 and stole a huge road win at Michigan on Saturday night, winning 62-61 with a great defensive effort and 28 points from Trayce Jackson-Davis and 21 from Jalen Hood-Schifino. CLICK HERE
- WATCH INDIANA DEFENSE ON FINAL PLAY: Michigan had the ball with a chance to secure a much-needed win, but the Indiana defense stood strong to escape with a 62-61 win. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
- WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS DUNKS ON DICKINSON: Trayce Jackson-Davis caught an alley-oop from Jalen Hood-Schifino and dunked the ball through a foul from Hunter Dickinson. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
- WATCH JACKSON-DAVIS OPEN GAME WITH DUNK: Trayce Jackson-Davis continued his strong play on Indiana's first possession of the game with a two-handed slam dunk. Here's the video highlight. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: It's primetime Saturday night in Ann Arbor, where the No. 18-ranked Indiana Hoosiers take on Michigan in a critical Big Ten game. Welcome to our live blog, where we'll keep you updated with all the news and views in real time, with opinion and highlights thrown in as well. CLICK HERE
- OPENING LINE: Indiana and Michigan are tied for second place in a crowded Big Ten logjam and the two teams get together on Saturday night in Ann Arbor. Because the Hoosiers have struggled on the road so much this season, the Wolverines are favored. Here's the latest line, plus a great breakdown of both teams. CLICK HERE
