INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 5, 2022

Mike Woodson

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana - 57, Illinois - 74

Q. The three-point line jumps out, they make ten, you guys make three. How big of a factor was that in your eyes?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, when we've lost games, that's been either rebounding and, you know, not defending the three-point line. And I thought we were pretty good on the boards tonight. It wasn't too bad.

But the three-point shot got away from us again tonight. I thought the two big threes that Jacob hit was really the -- the turning point in the -- in the down spiral of our ball club after he made two threes. Because we never really recovered from it.

Q. It seemed like, you know, Trayce weather the first half foul trouble with Trayce, so then you tried to get established in the second half. What were some of the issues with him today with the matchup with Cockburn, you think?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, he didn't play particularly well. I thought Mike and those guys played well. But, you know, Mike, he was in foul trouble, as well. Ended up fouling out.

But, you know, I thought for the most part, we did a pretty good job on the big guy until late. I thought we played a beautiful first half.

I didn't think we executed too particularly well in the first half, but still came in up two. But, you know, you got to give them credit. You know, they put a solid 40-minute ball game together and we put a 20-minute ball game together.

Q. Coach, it didn't look like Kofi was guarding much out beyond the free-throw line. What did you have to do in that situation?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, that's -- I mean, that's how they play their big guy. And, you know, I mean, you can't make him disappear. He's there in the paint for a reason.

And he's not going to come out not just on Trayce, but all the big fives that he -- that he goes against. That's their defense. They just sit him back in there, let him clog the middle up and say, Beat me on the perimeter. Which we just didn't make shots again tonight.

Q. You just raised a question, so I'm going to ask two, if you don't mind. One is: Why can't Trayce go outside and shoot threes? Why don't you -- why doesn't he do that?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, again, tonight, we needed to have him on the floor. He sat next to me the first half. He's still -- you know, he's just not comfortable doing it. I mean, he shoots some in practice, but he's -- you know, we're not asking him to shoot threes.

You know, but he can make -- I think he can make the 10, to 16, 17-foot shot. But he just won't shoot them. I got to keep working with him. That's on me.

Q. Okay, one more thing. How did you like your team's composure tonight? And, I guess, part two of that is: Five or six minutes left, you took out Trayce and you had no starters. Was that a message to the starters or is that just what you saw? So composure, and then why no starters in the last five or six minutes?

MIKE WOODSON: I'm not even going to comment on the composure. I took them out because they weren't playing well. That's why I took them out.

Q. Why won't you comment on the composure? I don't understand.

MIKE WOODSON: Because I don't think I have to.

Q. Is it obvious or -- I mean, I'm not trying to be mean, but --

MIKE WOODSON: No, I'm just not going to comment on the composure. I gave you your second answer and that's where we are.

Q. All right. Thank you.

MIKE WOODSON: You're welcome.

Q. Yeah, Miller played 16 minutes and didn't even get a shot in. Is that just not him being aggressive enough or are you guys not giving him shots? How do you survive something like that?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, again, I -- we're not telling him not to shoot. You know, and again, defensively, they know he can shoot and they won't leave him. So it forces someone else to shoot.

I thought Parker had some good looks the first half and didn't make his shots in the second half.

So, I mean, listen, you got to give them credit. They played good defense the second half, and they played great defense the first half. I mean, to come in up two, they were scrappy, as well like we were the first half. We just didn't have much going for us the second half.

Q. This might have already been answered in that question. But X in particular, I think he had 12 points, had some assists, had some good moments. He comes out with 4:28 to go. Is he covered by that same reason, you didn't deserved the starters --

MIKE WOODSON: I didn't think they were playing well. That's why they went to the bench.

Q. From an offensive perspective, do you guys like what you're doing schematically in terms of running the offense or --

MIKE WOODSON: I don't think we got into anything. And I may have mentioned that to X when I came in the -- I don't think -- he just never got us in everything.

We -- I can't tell you one play we called tonight, you know, unless I was calling it. You know, and I mean, he had kind of turned the corner in that area. But our offense, we struggled tonight because we never got into anything.