INDIANA UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 6, 2024

Mike Woodson

Postgame Media Conference

Indiana 80, SIUE 61

THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions.

Q. I know you've always seen the offensive explosion and ability with Mackenzie. 13 points in four minutes. 31 on the night. What did you think of his offensive game?

MIKE WOODSON: I thought he was the only one that truly played pretty good offense tonight. I mean, I thought we came out with great intentions. The ball moved early. We just got stale from an offensive standpoint in terms of moving the ball, making the extra pass.

This team was able to hang around. A lot of that is because we just didn't execute. I got to get us better in that regard.

I thought our defense was not too bad. We got to rebound the ball better. Gave up too many offensive rebounds.

Q. You said a couple weeks ago you wanted the team to get out to a blazing start. Had you seen execution problems in practice offensively? Have you been practicing things well in the weeks leading up?

MIKE WOODSON: No, I think we've been having some pretty good practices. The ball just wasn't moving. Our bodies weren't moving. I got to get us better in that area.

I thought, again, defensively we were pretty solid. You take away their offensive rebounding, we really are pretty good defensively. But we just couldn't keep 'em off the glass. That's not a big team.

I got to get us blocking out and getting better in that area.

Q. Mackenzie's scoring, a block, a steal, improved effort and hustle plays on the defensive end. How have you seen him in the off-season with his approach and effort?

MIKE WOODSON: No, he's still learning. I mean, I thought tonight was one of the best games he's had since he's been here. He was pretty solid defensively.

I look at what Kanaan Carlyle did from a defensive standpoint. Gallo coming in and defending, giving us nine assists.

This team, there's enough to spread the wealth all around the team if guys play the right way. I don't think in stretches we played the right way tonight.

Q. 16 turnovers, but it felt like some of them guys were trying to push the pace, moving too fast. Do you feel that's a number that comes down a little bit as this team settles in to how to play a little faster?

MIKE WOODSON: Yeah, I think so. Myles, he had five turnovers. Three of them was where there just wasn't nothing there. He tried to split two and three guys and lost the ball. Those are things that are correctable. He has to be patient to get us in something, then know what to go do what he needs to do offensively himself.

Still a work in motion in terms of trying to get him to play the right way and be a true point guard.

Q. With Myles, where maybe is the next step with him?

MIKE WOODSON: Again, I mean, good point guards, great point guards, they figure out how to make players better around them, and then still figure out how to go score the basketball.

He can score the ball, there's no doubt about that. He's shown that in practice. I don't want to ever take that away from him.

But I do want him to play the right way and run our offense when he's got the ball in his hands and make the right plays when it's time to make 'em.

Q. Trey has always been a jack of all trades for you. With his role that he has now coming off the bench, can you speak to how much you appreciate it that he's willing to accept the role that he has and thrive in it?

MIKE WOODSON: Again, a lot of it has been we can't help but bring him off right now because he can't play big-time minutes yet. He's missed so much of summer play, coming back from summer play up until this point. We're just gradually trying to bring him along, not burn him and get him hurt again.

I mean, tonight his minutes grew a little bit more. He played 17 minutes, but he played longer in stretches tonight. So we'll see how he feels tomorrow when he wakes up and comes in for treatment. That's going to be the key.

Q. What do you think your team's offensive identity is right now?

MIKE WOODSON: Don't know. Still searching. I do know we can score the basketball. Certain guys haven't really made shots like I thought they would. They'll start falling eventually.

Q. Obviously at Indiana you always carry the weight of high expectations. How do you manage that with your players, prepare them to handle those expectations?

MIKE WOODSON: We can't hide from it. Expectations, that's a good thing. We expect that. So I expect our players to play at a high level. I thought in stretches we did tonight.

I just got to get us where we're playing 40 minutes a game throughout the game no matter what, no matter who we play.

Q. The 16 offensive rebounds for them, was that bad bounces or bad blocking?

MIKE WOODSON: No, I just give them credit from a team standpoint. They wanted it a little bit more than we did. That's something that can't happen.

I got to go back and break this film down and put them in front of the film and try to get better.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, coach.