Video: Here's What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's 83-74 Loss at Penn State
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Indiana got swept by Penn State on Saturday, losing 83-74 at Bryce Jordan Center and falling to the Nittany Lions twice in three weeks. It was the fourth straight loss for Indiana in the rivalry.
Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media after the game. HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew was at the game and recorded the postgame press conference. Here is the video, plus the written transcript.
QUESTION: "They had that 8-0 run right near the end of the first half there. Ace Baldwin was on the floor, scored all eight of those points. We've asked you this before about sitting guys with two fouls and such, but he had two fouls and was out there and you chose to sit Mackenzie (Mgbako) that whole time. How much of that is a decision is that for you on a game-by-game basis in regards to keeping them sitting down?
MIKE WOODSON: "I elected to go elsewhere with C.J. (Gunn). I thought C.J. could come in and give us a lift. Eventually we have to look at our bench, too, and see if they can give us something off the bench. (Kel'el) Ware had two fouls as well, and I took him out. It was still a ballgame and that game wasn't out of hand at that particular time. We just didn't make plays coming down the home stretch in the first half to keep us right there. But that wasn't the difference in the game. I thought we battled. When I look at the stat sheet and look at the free throws and all the missed opportunities to make threes, I thought that was the difference.''
Q.: "I know it's becoming a bit of a frustrating refrain, but three-point shooting, what is it that isn't working? Whether it's the way your getting the shots, whether it's guys' form, whether it's putting them in the right mental space. What's kind of not getting them going in your mind?''
WOODSON: "We're getting good looks, we're getting a lot of good looks. I just think from a mental standpoint, I've got to get them comfortable just and make them. We haven't made them this season. We've had our ups and downs in stretches where some nights we have made them, but most for the most part we haven't made them. Free throws are another big problem. We just have struggled to make free throws and it's something we work on every day. We shoot threes every day. Guys just have to come in and feel good about themselves.''
Q.: "Yeah coach, just big picture. You guys are 0-5 this season against Northwestern, Nebraska and Penn State. Something that really doesn't happen much at Indiana. What's your reaction to that this season?
WOODSON: "I'm upset with the way we've played and the way I've coached this team this whole season. We've lost more games at home than we did the last two seasons, and that's just not good. I always feel like I can take any team and win with them. We've had our struggles this year, but we've got to try to finish this season on a high note. We've got Wisconsin next, and they're playing pretty well and sitting up at the top. We've got to see what we're made of.''
Q.: "When you say you are upset with the way you've coached, what are things if you could take a mulligan ... ''
WOODSON: "All coaches when they coach, they think they can win. I've struggled with this team this year. I won't blame my players, I'll always put it on Mike Woodson and that's how it should be. I'm a big boy, and we'll try to continue to grow this things and figure it out. We've still got a lot of work on our hands.''
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- GAME STORY: Indiana lost its fourth straight game to Penn State in a 13-month window, and it was the same issue with the Nittany Lions making nine threes in an 83-74 win. Indiana made only two — both in the final minute — and also missed 11 free throws to fall to 14-13 on the season and 6-10 in the Big Ten. CLICK HERE
- KEL'EL WARE HIGHLIGHT: Indiana center Kel'el Ware showed his shot-blocking prowess Saturday at Penn State, which led to a layup for the 7-footer on the next possession. Watch the sequence here. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: Welcome to our live blog, where we'll keep you updated in real time for Indiana's game with Penn State at the Bryce Jordan Center. We're here on press row, to give you all the news and views on the game, plus highlights and opinion. Follow along. CLICK HERE
- TOM BREW COLUMN: During Bob Knight's 29 years at Indiana, he feasted on the bottom of the Big Ten. He had a career combined record of 68-4 against Northwestern, Nebraska and Penn State. But those perennial bottom-feeders are pushing Indiana around these days, all with winning streaks against the Hoosiers. Those streaks add up to nine straight losses for IU. Here's a great history of the good and bad. CLICK HERE
- TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS: Here's where we stand as of Sunday morning with what the Big Ten Tournament pairings look like as of now. It's not looking good for Indiana. CLICK HERE
