INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 15, 2022

Mike Woodson

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana 69, Wisconsin 74

MIKE WOODSON: I thought we froze. Once the ball got in, Parker didn't have it, I kind of cut everybody off away from him and was looking for a pick and roll to make a play.

But we just froze. I thought the play before that that X took the three, you know, I thought big fella was in a good position to make the play, but he threw it out to X because he thought X was open on the three-point line.

At that point, we just got to put it on the officials to make the call and we didn't, so it's a tough game. I got to give them credit because they played they butts off. I thought we played great in stretches, but we just couldn't sustain it. Too many fouls.

I mean, they didn't get a chance to go through our defense because we put them on the line so much. That's tough coming down the stretch when they don't have to execute their offense.

Q. Coach, you had Parker on Johnny Davis late and then you switched to Miller. Was there any thought about trying Trey there? What was the overall thought process on trying to slow him down there?

MIKE WOODSON: Trey struggled with Davis. I mean, everybody struggled with Johnny. It wasn't just Miller. It was everybody that guarded him struggled with him. He had a hell of a game. He's that type of player. It's hard to double him, because a lot of times he's up top and he's making plays off the bounce.

He kept beating our defense, going the other way, and he's capable have doing it. He did it tonight. It didn't matter who we put on him, he just had a good game. I thought Miller played him well early. I thought Parker played him well in stretches. Coming down the stretch couldn't nobody play him. He had a great game.

Q. Wisconsin goes on an 8-0 run in the final 1:40. What did they do to kind of counter your efforts and close out the game?

MIKE WOODSON: Free throws. I mean, they were making plays with the ball. You know, we were trying to go inside and we missed some wide open shots coming down the stretch.

The times we got it inside, you know, Trayce made them pay for it. He was great. Made his three throws. I don't think we milked it enough. I kept trying to go to him because they couldn't stop him. Him being so unselfish, he kept letting the ball come out and we just couldn't make shots.

Q. Coach, in the second half Trayce gets 17 points; nobody else gets more than 7 in the second half. Why do you feel the other guys aren't more able to give him more offensive help at this stage of the season?

MIKE WOODSON: Again, guys are just not -- you know, X, he had shots; didn't make them. We just couldn't make shots coming down the stretch.

And, again, I put it on me, man. I got to get them in better position. I can't shoot it for them, but I got to get them comfortable to the point where they feel good about making shots.

I mean, the good teams do it. We're not that good yet. We're still a work in this progress trying to figure it out down the stretch. We've played some good basketball this season. We just haven't been consistent in bringing them home. Been in every ball game fighting battling. Can't take that away from our guys because they do fight.

But we got to learn how to win. I got help them in that area.

Q. You tried to steal some minutes to keep Trayce and Race fresh. Didn't seem like you got enough from the second unit. Thoughts on that, and how maybe even down the stretch you can get them going from here?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, again, I mean, Parker probably was the most positive thing off the bench. I thought Mike's few maintenance he played he was pretty positive, but other than that, we struggled off the bench tonight.

You know, I got to rest our guys sometime. Again, it's on me. I got to get these guys feeling good coming off the bench. That's the only way we going to have a chance winning coming down the stretch.

They got to relieve our guys and then they got be a little more productive, and I got to help them in that area.

Q. Trayce has been kind of struggling to score a little bit the last three or four games; tonight was huge. Also had a season-high six assists. Just how reassuring was that for you to see him bounce back like that and give you a performance like he did tonight?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, it was great. He tried to put us on his back. But, again, our team hasn't been based on just Trayce. When we have won, we have won collectively and guys have pitched in and done their job.

Right now I'm just not getting that, and I got to somehow help them, man, because they kind of looking over their shoulders again, you know, at past years and how things have happened to them coming down the stretch, man, and I got to help them get over that somehow.