Mike Woodson Press Conference After Indiana's 76-72 Loss to Northwestern
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00:00 Yes, Mike, you had that surge out of halftime.
00:03 I think you cut it to one and then just kind of couldn't quite find that final push.
00:07 Just maybe what wasn't there in terms of riding that momentum,
00:10 but not being able to kind of get control of the game back fully.
00:14 Well, I thought the biggest play is when we were down two doing that surge
00:19 and Malik had it on the right block, left block.
00:27 And McKenzie had just hit a three from a play we had designed
00:34 and he was sitting right there and I don't know if he saw him or not,
00:37 but he went into a bad shot and they came back and hit a three
00:42 and we never recovered from that point on.
00:45 But I thought if that pass had been made and Mack gets another look at it,
00:50 there's a chance we go up one.
00:52 But I thought that was the biggest play along with, you know, not making free throws.
00:56 I mean, a close game, when you're scrapping and scraping,
01:00 you've got to make free throws, man.
01:02 And we were nine for 22, I think.
01:06 What was it?
01:08 12 for 21.
01:09 So that's just not good in close games.
01:13 Mike, on your left of the top.
01:15 Malik falls out in 2,009 seconds, his second straight game.
01:19 Have you talked to him?
01:20 I mean, those problems seem to be a little past him,
01:22 but I mean, now kind of rearing their head again.
01:24 Have you seen anything in the last two games that kind of, you know,
01:27 you're a little frustrated with in terms of the frequency of falls?
01:31 Well, I wasn't happy with him after the game.
01:33 And, you know, I mean, after he had the two, I thought the third foul was --
01:43 it came so fast.
01:44 I mean, he reached over the guy and he didn't -- at the time didn't think he
01:49 fouled, but I thought it was a foul.
01:53 And then the fifth foul came so fast I couldn't get him out, you know,
01:58 from the bump up top in the pick and roll.
02:00 So, I mean, we just got to keep working with him because we need him on the
02:05 basketball floor.
02:06 The guy has played well this season for our ball club and, you know,
02:10 being our second leading scorer and second leading rebounder,
02:13 we need him on the floor, especially coming down the stretch.
02:17 Tom, on your left in the top.
02:19 Mike, you guys gave up 14 offensive rebounds again.
02:22 I know that's been kind of a problem all year long,
02:24 but it's not necessarily a big team outside of the big guy.
02:26 How frustrating was that for you?
02:27 And then also only forced three turnovers the whole game.
02:30 Well, again, I thought the 50/50 balls they beat us to tonight,
02:37 and we played smaller, you know, when Malik got in foul trouble early,
02:43 we went small.
02:45 And then coming down the stretch I had McKenzie at the floor.
02:49 So, you know, I mean, we have to utilize our strengths when we're on the
02:56 floor being big, but it didn't help us tonight.
03:01 Todd and Mike.
03:03 Mike, you mentioned a little bit of this with regards to Malik,
03:07 but it seemed like the ball was sticking a little bit when the ball went into
03:11 him in the paint, maybe a few others as well.
03:14 How do you try to work the team out of that to get the team to see the
03:18 open players that you have?
03:21 Well, I thought early on when the game started we got good looks based on how
03:27 they double teamed the ball.
03:28 We just didn't make shots early.
03:31 I mean, we had some really good looks.
03:34 Gallo had -- I can look back, had three wide open ones that he just -- he made
03:40 one of the three.
03:42 And McKenzie didn't make any early on.
03:46 So, I mean, these are shots that when our guys are being double teamed, Gabe
03:51 made one, you know, they got to step up and knock them down.
03:56 And then it takes a little pressure off of the guys being double teamed if we
04:01 can start making shots when they are double teamed.
04:04 But I thought coming down the stretch, you know, running our pick and roll game,
04:08 we were able to open it up a little bit when we went small to get McKenzie
04:13 and CJ who didn't make one, but good looks.
04:17 Gallo had some good looks coming down the stretch as well as Gabe.
04:20 So, we just got to keep working, man.
04:24 I mean, it's frustrating because I thought we played well enough once we got
04:29 back into it and then the free throws bit us in the butt.
04:33 Coach, you mentioned a couple times McKenzie at the four playing small.
04:39 Is that something you think he could do more down the road here?
04:44 I know it's tough because you got Khalil and Malik who are your top two scores.
04:47 That makes it hard to play them there.
04:49 But what's that look like going down the road?
04:51 Yeah, I mean, we can experiment with that a little bit.
04:54 I mean, it looked pretty good tonight, but they were small too.
04:58 So, you know, it didn't hurt us.
05:01 But when teams are playing bigger fours, that can be tougher for McKenzie as
05:05 well, and it can be tough for the guy that's possibly guarding him as well
05:08 too.
05:09 So, something to think about.
05:11 Jeff, on your right, last one.
05:13 Yeah, Coach.
05:14 0.8 points per possession the first half, only 12 points the first 11 minutes.
05:18 What do you feel is wrong with the offense right now when it needs to change?
05:22 It's simple.
05:23 You watched the same game I did.
05:24 You got to make shots.
05:26 You know, we had some good looks and we just didn't knock them down.
05:30 I mean, there's nothing scientific about it.
05:33 You know, we moved the ball well enough to get open shots.
05:36 you gotta step up and make 'em.
05:37 It's that simple.
05:38 pool.