Here’s What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana’s Win over Little Rock

BLOOMINGTON, Ind — Indiana raised its report to 5-0 on Wednesday evening with an 86-67 victory over Little Rock at Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor. Here is what coach Mike Woodson needed to say after the sport, both in video kind or the total transcript.

Race Thompson led the way in which with 20 factors for the Hoosiers, Xavier Johnson had 10 assists and freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino had 13 factors and 7 rebounds.

Right here is the transcript from Woodson’s interview:

Q. Discuss a bit of bit about Xavier Johnson and the second half when it comes to play making and the type of sport he and his teammates had been in a position to play down the stretch?

MIKE WOODSON: Effectively, I believe X, he is able to doing that. I count on him to do this; he is our level guard. I believed he was stable when issues weren’t going nicely for him early. 

Q. You shot the three higher within the second half, and X had three of the assists on the 5 you made and naturally he made considered one of them. How necessary is he? You speak about shooters quite a bit, however how necessary is it for him to get shooters concerned and for them to start out making pictures?

WOODSON: No, it is essential. Final yr, guys, we had been one of many prime groups within the nation in getting wide-open threes, and we simply did not make them. We’ll get our fair proportion of seems to be. We have simply acquired to knock them down. X is able to making them. All people on our staff now I be ok with once they shoot the ball from the three-point line that it is acquired an opportunity to go in.

We’ll make our fair proportion, however we have simply acquired to proceed to work on them and get good threes. Compelled threes do not get you something. That is if you shoot poorly.

When the ball is shifting round prefer it did tonight, we had 18 assists, Miller was on the again finish of it the place in transition he was huge open for lots of threes, and he made some tonight, which is large for our staff.

Q. What’s Trayce coping with, and with North Carolina coming to city every week from tonight, what’s your confidence stage he’ll be wholesome, absolutely able to go?

WOODSON: Man, I am not worrying about North Carolina. We have got Jackson State coming in right here on Friday. We’ll proceed to guage him. He is type of beat up a bit of bit bodily. Nothing main. We rested him tonight, and we’ll get him prepared for hopefully Jackson State. I imply, that is the subsequent one on our schedule.

Q. Once you came upon Trayce was going to be out, I am curious, did you go to anyone on the staff and type of set the expectations of upper wants from anyone?

WOODSON: No, I simply stated subsequent man up. Him and Gallo was out; I stated subsequent man up. That is what this staff has acquired to be about.

I’ve at all times been about that as a coach. I’ve coached video games the place my greatest gamers have been out of the lineup. I can not wait on these guys. I’ve acquired to nonetheless coach and get guys to carry out and play at a excessive stage. I count on guys to be able to play.

Q. So far as the three-point taking pictures, you guys began out actually gradual tonight, 1 of seven, however then caught hearth, hit 5 of 10, ended up taking pictures 35 %. Are you nervous as we get to the larger video games, the North Carolinas, the Arizonas, getting right into a gap with that or getting down in opposition to groups of that caliber?

WOODSON: You already predicted the sport. I do not take a look at it in that gentle. We have got to get to these video games first and see the place we’re.

I imply, positive, each school coach worries about making threes once they’ve acquired pictures. My factor is that if we have got good pictures and we’re taking good pictures, I be ok with them entering into. You have to make them in opposition to groups that you simply suppose we should always beat, and you have to make them in opposition to groups which might be on the borderline groups, groups that match up nicely with us like North Carolina and a few of the prime groups. Yeah, I might hope we are going to make them. However solely time will inform.

Q. The offensive effectivity across the rim, Trayce has had some video games like this this season. Race tonight solely wants eight pictures, makes seven of them. Mainly how a lot do you’re feeling if — I do not know if bully is the phrase, however how a lot do you’re feeling as a complete entrance courtroom your guys are in a position to be extremely environment friendly across the rim?

WOODSON: Effectively, once more, we’re enjoying in opposition to groups that we’re a bit of bit greater than. It’ll be attention-grabbing to see what we match up with like groups in opposition to Xavier. They had been a giant staff, and it was a battle.

I believe we now have the our bodies to bang with a few of the greater groups, however solely time will inform. I am anxious to get to video games like that, however proper now Jackson State is staring us within the face, and we have got to prepare for these guys.

Q. Going again to that measurement benefit, does the rebounding discrepancy or the defensive struggles you guys had tonight, does that fear you a bit of bit, or is that simply one thing you guys must settle into?

WOODSON: Effectively, I do not suppose we had defensive struggles tonight. We received by 20 factors. We gave up 60-some factors. We have been averaging giving up I believe 57, 58 factors a sport. We let this get a bit of bit out of hand when it comes to the place we prefer to be when it comes to holding our opponents to 60 and beneath, however we received by 19, 20 factors. I am not too disenchanted in our protection. We out-rebounded the staff. We guarded the three-point line. They did not shoot nicely from the three-point line or the 2.

I am happy. I can not sit right here and complain about something tonight. It was a complete staff effort.

Q. I do know you had lots of good runs within the second half, however within the first half it was just about touch-and-go the entire method for form of the third straight sport the place you guys a lot better early than you probably did early. Is there something you’ll be able to pinpoint to the primary half points or do you contemplate them points in any respect?

WOODSON: Effectively, we got here in up 9 after the half, however you have to give them credit score, too. They are a aggressive staff, and so they had been competing identical to we had been making an attempt to compete.

I imply, you want to come back within the locker room up 20. I assume that is what you need to see. However it was 9, and I used to be happy with that. I believed we began the second half a bit of gradual. They scored, I believe, the primary 4 factors, and now we have got to essentially play and choose it up, and I believed we responded.

• INDIANA BEATS LITTLE ROCK: Race Thompson had a near-perfect taking pictures evening and scored 20 factors for simply the second time in his profession in an 87-68 win over Little Rock. He picked up the slack with ”banged up” star Trayce Jackson-Davis lacking his first-ever sport at Indiana after 98 straight begins. CLICK HERE
• LIVE BLOG: Relive all of the motion from Wednesday evening’s Indiana sport in actual time with Tom Brew’s reside weblog. CLICK HERE
• WATCH HOOD-SCHIFINO ALLEY-OOP TO GERONIMO: Jalen Hood-Schifino led the quick break for Indiana, throwing an alley-oop to Jordan Geronimo for a slam dunk. CLICK HERE
• WATCH MALIK RENEAU EURO STEP: Indiana freshman ahead Malik Reneau confirmed off some easy footwork in transition on Wednesday evening in opposition to Little Rock. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA SCHEDULE: Right here is Indiana’s full 2022-23 males’s basketball schedule, with dates, sport occasions and TV info, plus hyperlinks to tales on teh video games already performed. CLICK HERE