What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's 82-67 Win Over Minnesota

Mike Woodson spoke to the press after Indiana opened its Big Ten schedule with a victory at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson talks with an official during the Indiana versus Miami (Ohio) men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Asseembly Hall on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana opened its Big Ten men's basketball schedule with an 82-67 win over Minnesota on Monday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

Indiana (8-2, 1-0) controlled the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to overwhelm the Golden Gophers, considered to be one of the bottom teams in the Big Ten this season. Indiana converted 56.6% from the field on the way to the victory.

Here's everything Indiana coach Mike Woodson had to say after the game:

On Kanaan Carlyle returning to action ...

Woodson: Well, he practiced yesterday for the first time, full practice, and said he felt good coming into today's game, so we played him.

On marrying a big lineup to a faster pace ...

Woodson: Well, I mean, it's going to be bigs throughout the Big Ten games that we play, you know, when we got a chance to go small, we try to do that, too. I mean, we've done that every game that we've had this season so far. But, again, it's -- you gauge it based on how the game is going, you know, and who's in the game and if our small team is rolling, we just roll with them until we have to go sub because we feel like they might be a little tired and move to the big line-up. So, I mean, it's been good for us both ways, but, you know, I haven't weighed it out. I base it on match-ups and when we do have the small guys in, how they're playing as a unit.

On the speed and urgency of the offense ...

Woodson: Well, again, I thought we played great the first half. The ball moved. Then in the second half, we started really well, I thought, but we got to get some things fixed, too, because I thought we had some lapses where we just didn't play good offense. I thought there was some selfish play here and there and we threw the ball away. We didn't make some free throws. We got to build on this game but those are areas that we can fix and when you get a team down 15, 20 points, you got to remember how you got them down and continue to do the same things that got you the lead and I don't think we did that coming down the stretch.

On using Trey Galloway, Kanaan Carlyle, who starts and how dependent it is on matchups ...

Woodson: No, I went with Gallo because we'd been starting him and K-9 just came back and he didn't take it personal. He just came in and did his job and somebody's got to come off the bench. I can't start everybody and I don't know if that line-up will stay the same, but the bottom line is he did his job coming in to help us win our first Big Ten game, so we're going to need everybody, regardless of who starts to play at a high level when they play.

On achieving defensive consistency ...

Woodson: Well, again, when we're playing good defense, it's nice to watch film (chuckling), but when things kind of go sour, there are miscues in terms of switching and somebody might get beat backdoor and shot goes up, you don't put a body on a guy and he gets an offensive rebound or he keeps the ball alive and then they score, things like that we have to clean up because, again, when you're playing in the Big Ten, going through this grind, man, those type of plays can beat you.

On Bryson Tucker hitting some early shots and staying in a rhythm ...

Woodson: Well, it's very important. When we recruited him, we thought he would be a big piece to the puzzle, and he is, and we just got to keep steering him in the right direction and pushing him to play at a high level, play harder and smarter and do the things that we need him to do on the floor and I thought tonight he came in and played a solid ball game and hopefully that will be a nice carryover into our next game against Nebraska.

On Bryson Tucker's ability to make and desire to shoot mid-range shots ...

Woodson: Well, I don't know. Again, the way the game is played, you know, I -- if you got guys that can make threes, I'm open for them taking them and we do have guys that can make 'em and we're probably not taking a lot more than most teams, but he is good in midrange and those count, too. Lay-ups and 15, 16-foot jump shots, they count as well if you make them, so the key the making them. So tonight he was pretty good in that area, so I'll take it.

On whether Woodson prefers to have Tucker come off the bench ...

Woodson: Yeah, I mean, that's where -- he's not starting for us, he's coming off the bench and I thought he came off the bench and played extremely well and, you know, guys, somebody's got to come off the bench, so it's not who starts and who comes off the bench. It's the minutes that you got, it's what you do with the minutes that you get to help your team win and I've always believed that and if there's two minutes, then dammit, you better make it the best two minutes to help our ball club when. That's what it's all about. That's what team is about.

On whether Indiana has improved when teams blitz ball screens ...

Woodson: Yeah, I mean, we've seen a little bit of everything in pick and roll this early season and some games we're pretty good at it. I thought tonight it didn't affect us a whole lot. I got to go back and look at the film, but I think there were times that we could have gotten rid of the ball earlier or quicker than we did and then that pass might lead to something good. I didn't think once we got it out of there we were slow in terms of moving the ball once it came out two on the ball. That's just something we got to get better at and continue to learn.

Related stories on Indiana basketball ...

• GAME STORY: Bryson Tucker gives Indiana a lift in its 82-67 win over Minnesota. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Recall the game as it happened with Hoosiers on SI's live blog. CLICK HERE.

• AP TOP 25 POLL: Indiana begins Big Ten play this week without a place in the Top 25. CLICK HERE