What Mike Woodson And Malik Reneau Said After Indiana Defeated No. 11 Michigan State 71-67

Mike Woodson and Malik Reneau spoke to the media together after the Hoosiers pulled off a shocking upset at Breslin Center.

Indiana Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson protests a call during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. / Dale Young-Imagn Images

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Indiana earned its first victory over a ranked team since the 2023 season after a 71-67 triumph over No. 11 Michigan State at Breslin Center on Tuesday.

After the game, Indiana coach Mike Woodson and Indiana forward Malik Reneau spoke to the media together. For the purposes of this story, their comments are sorted separately as far as what both said.

MIKE WOODSON

On whether Woodson mentioned to the team that Tom Izzo was trying to pass Bob Knight to take the all-time Big Ten win lead ...

Woodson: Never once did. I knew. Tom Izzo is a helluva coach, man. He's a great coach. He's done it for a lot of years. He's won a lot of games and me mentioning Bob Knight in his arena, man? That means Tom Izzo is pretty god damn special. I mean really special. I didn't think I needed to tell our guys that. We're just trying to get off this slide and get a win. I thought we had a total team effort tonight from everybody and the zone (defense) helped us. We keep fighting tonight to win this ballgame.

What led to the 2-3 zone and what made it so effective ...

Woodson: We played it against Michigan in the second half and held them to 21 points. This team really gets up and down the floor. You take bad shots they're running it right you can make shots and they run it right back at you. So we just felt like the only way to slow them down was to play zone and the zone was effective and we came out of here with a win.

Whose decision was it to go to the zone ...

Woodson: It was the team's decision. We're all in this together. They played the hell out of it and we ended up on the winning end which we needed badly.

On Malik Reneau's performance ...

Woodson: I can't say enough about Malik because I went to him before the game and told him he wasn't starting. That didn't sit well with him, but he said, 'Coach, whatever you need me to do.' He came in and played his ass off. That's all you can ask for. It's about team.

On the players playing hard under the circumstances of his job status ...

Woodson: It means a lot. We've lost some close games. We just haven't been able to finish. I take a lot of pride in that as a coach because the Purdue game was a game we could have won. Maryland at home, Northwestern on the road. We didn't win them, so we've got to look ahead, man, and try to figure out this next game. UCLA is next and they're playing terrific basketball. We play in our gym on our floor and we've just got to put a 40-minute ballgame together.

On the irony of protecting Bob Knight's piece of the Big Ten win record while playing a zone defense, something Knight very rarely did ...

Woodson: Me and Jim Todd, one of my consultants, we kid a lot about zone because he was a zone guy when I was in the NBA. I won a playoff series, down one and having to win a game on the road to come home and close it out in seven. He convinced me to play a 2-3 zone and we ended up winning that game. (It was an Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks series in 2010.) I couldn't thank him enough. I've got great coaches who work for me that truly help me with the 2-3 zone. We worked on it the last few days and it paid off for us tonight.

Was zone the main defensive coverage worked on to prepare for Michigan State ...

Woodson: Yes. We were working on it the last few days. Coming out of the Michigan game, we thought we could use. I thought tonight we did a helluva job in running it.

On the perseverance of the team when Oumar Ballo left with four fouls ...

Woodson: Again, we have enough talent on this team, I just have to do a better job in these six, seven games I think it is left in getting these guys to believe in one another. Because that's what it's all about it. They've had a tough go at it. But I can't let them quit. We've got to keep working and keep pushing each other and see where it leads us.

On messaging to players about what's happened with his job status ...

Woodson: It's tough, man. They know I won't be back. That's been tough on these guys. It's been tough on me. But we've still got a lot of season left. I want these guys to believe. I want them to get in the tournament and experience it. And get in the Big Ten Tournament and see if we can win it. That's what it's all about. It's not just being there. You want to get there and win a Big Ten Tournament and see where that leads you. I have to keep pushing them, keep them positive, keep them up.

MALIK RENEAU

On what the week has been like in the wake of the news that Mike Woodson won't be back ...

Reneau: Everyone knows what the situation is now so we're just coming together and trying to play as hard as we can every time we step on the court, whether we're home or away. That's what we're trying to do.

What worked well when things started getting going for Reneau ...

Reneau: I was getting frustrated with myself early on, but coach came up to me and told me to go straight to the rim. That's what I started doing. In the second half, I was doing it and it worked for me

On how satisfied Reneau was that the two-big lineup was effective for Indiana ...

Reneau: Yes sir. There's a lot of media going out there about me and Ballo and it felt good to get a win with me and Ballo together.

On having the game put on his shoulders ...

Reneau: Coach was believing in me so much in going to me. It feels great that he trusted me to get a basket or a pass to help my team. It feels real good.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GAME STORY: Indiana pulled off a shocker as the Hoosiers won 71-67 at No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday. CLICK HERE.

• MEET THE OPPONENT: Michigan State may not have a star player, but coach Tom Izzo has a deep and well-rounded team. CLICK HERE

• 3 THINGS: Here are three things the Hoosiers need to do when they face the Spartans. CLICK HERE