What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's 77-76 Overtime Win At Ohio State

What Mike Woodson had to say after Indiana broke a two-game losing streak with a Big Ten road victory at Ohio State.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson speaks to the media after the Hoosiers earned a 77-76 overtime victory at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Jan. 17, 2025. / Todd Golden | Hoosiers On SI

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Indiana men’s basketball coach Mike Woodson addressed the media after Indiana earned a thrilling 77-76 overtime victory at Ohio State on Friday at Value City Arena.

Here is everything Woodson had to say in his postgame press conference.

On starting Anthony Leal and the block he had on the final possession of overtime …

Mike Woodson: Going back to last year, when we played here and the kind of game he had (Leal hit the game-winning shot in a 76-73 victory in 2024), I just wanted to shake things up a bit. I thought he answered the bell. He got the big defensive stop. Last year, he hit a big three here to help seal it. Coming down the stretch, he made a great defensive stance to help us get another victory tonight.

On whether he’ll evaluate the starting lineup game-to-game …

Woodson: It’s all by feel to determine where I’m going and what I’m going to do moving forward.

On Luke Goode becoming a reliable second scorer for Indiana after halftime …

Woodson: He got some good looks. They were doubling (Oumar) Ballo and we kind of set it up that way on the back side that he could get looks and he knocked some shots down for us. Some big shots. We needed every one of them because they huge that he made.

On whether any changes were made in the last few days since the 25-point loss to Illinois …

Woodson: Our last game, we started the game very well. At one point, it was 10-8 and we couldn’t make shots and it got away. We couldn’t make stops. I thought we played a lot better in the second half, but when you spot teams like that, it’s hard to get back in games and win them. We had to put it behind us. I tip my hat to our team because they could have laid down, but they didn’t. They came here to Ohio and got a win.

On playing players like Oumar Ballo and Luke Goode for long minutes and the effort plays they made …

Woodson: I need that. They’ve been on a few teams. Speaking in terms of Ballo and both he and Goode have won at a high level. You expect that from them. They made winning basketball plays coming down the stretch. I thought Ballo had two great looks prior to going into overtime he just didn’t put down. We got down early in the overtime and we just kept fighting to make defensive stops and Goode hit the big three to put us back up. It was a total team effort and we needed it after the two games we just had.

On getting the energy level to be more consistent …

Woodson: Look, guys, we’re sitting here, you know, we’ve won 14 games, man. We’re 14-5. It’s not like it’s 5-14. We’ve played some pretty good basketball and had some good stretches. The (last) two games, we got our asses beat in those two games. Ain’t nothing you can do about it now. You just have to stay away from games like that and hopefully will get Malik (Reneau) back soon. Kanaan (Carlyle) was huge tonight. I couldn’t take Ballo out because I used the timeouts to give him a blow. He said he was okay, so I rolled with him.

On Luke Goode leading by example …

Woodson: It’s huge. I mean, he’s a senior. That’s what seniors are supposed to do. I expect that from Gallo (Trey Galloway) and Anthony, who was big tonight. Gallo made some good plays, but I have to get Gallo back playing at a high level. He and Mackenzie (Mgbako) are two big pieces to this puzzle and they’ve been struggling of late. I have to get them back going.

On outside noise …

Woodson: I don’t care about the outside noise. I really don’t.

What does it say about the team that it didn’t bother them …

Woodson: It shows a little bit about the character of our team, but I don’t even want to comment on that outside noise. It’s ridiculous.

On Goode having the game-winning shot and Leal having the defensive stop …

Woodson: We’ve got a lot of guys in that locker room with a lot of pride. They wear that jersey with pride and sometimes things don’t go according to plan. I thought tonight, considering where we were the last two games, they fought their asses off to help us win this basketball game. It was a total team effort.

On how much Woodson expected to have an advantage in the paint against Ohio State …

Woodson: (Devin) Royal didn’t play and we’re better when we’ve got Malik because he gives us something in the paint. We’ve been struggling a little bit in the paint because we do depend on Malik some in that area. Ballo has been great for us, but we have got guys that can get downhill like Myles Rice and Gallo who can make plays at the rim. Listen … to win on the road in the Big Ten it’s not easy, man. It’s tough. They’ve got a helluva team that’s well-coached. To come in and get a win, I tip my hat to our guys.

On Kanaan Carlyle …

Woodson: I just hope he bottles it up and carries it forward. These games are coming awfully quick. You can’t run from them, so I’m going to need Kanaan and the supporting cast to play at a high level. That’s how you win on the road and then you have to take care of home.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GAME STORY: Luke Goode, Oumar Ballo and Anthony Leal all made big plays or had vital performances as Indiana earned a 77-76 overtime win at Ohio State on Friday. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Follow along as it happened after Indiana earned a 77-76 overtime victory at Ohio State. CLICK HERE.

• BRACKETOLOGY UPDATE: Indiana’s two consecutive 25-point losses appear to make NCAA Tournament talk a bit far-fetched, but the Hoosiers have time to repair the damage. CLICK HERE

• MEET THE OPPONENT: How do the Ohio State Buckeyes look so far in the 2024-25 season? CLICK HERE.

• 3 THINGS INDIANA NEEDS TO DO: Indiana has had two straight 25-point losses. Can the Hoosiers right the ship at Ohio State? CLICK HERE