Coach Q&A: Mike Woodson reacts to Indiana basketball’s 85-70 loss against Nebraska

Indiana basketball head coach Mike Woodson spoke to reporters following Indiana basketball’s 85-70 loss against Nebraska on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall.

Woodson discussed the defensive struggles, the slow start, what’s gone wrong this season and much more.

Below is the full video Q&A and transcript.

Q. Mike, just to start with, from your perspective, what built that run in the first half? I think 25 points in eight and a half minutes and just where did you see to fizzle out?

MIKE WOODSON: When you give up 51 points in the Big10 in a half, you’re not going to beat anybody.

Yeah, we played great the second half to get back in it to cut it to three, but we had no defensive effort I thought the first half. We just weren’t up to touch. They made some tough threes, but you can’t have to halves like that.

You have to have a half like you did the second half the first half and then see what happens. So I got to keep working with them and see if I can get them playing two halves.

Q. Big picture on the season, down 20 to Nebraska at home; two losses to Purdue by 20+; number of other double-figure losses. Why do you feel the season has gone off the rails to the degree had has?

MIKE WOODSON: We’re young, missing our senior point guard, trying to play a freshman at point guard. It’s tough. You know, Gallo struggled tonight trying to play the point with his six turnovers. It’s a lot that comes in play with that.

We played well enough this year in spurts, but not well enough to complete ball games. That’s what makes it frustrating.

Q. What are you seeing in the eyes of the players, they’re reactions not only to adversity because they did respond, but before the game and in terms of when they’re going through adversity, what are you seeing out of them and what are you hoping to see?

MIKE WOODSON: Well, they’re down a little bit. You expect to be down. The only way you come out of a rut, come out of a situation that we’re in, you got work your way through it.

Nobody is going to feel sorry for Indiana basketball. They’re not. My locker room is down. As a coach I got to keep pumping them up and see if I can get them to overcome being down and get us back into winning ways.

Q. You mentioned them being down. Is it something you sense now outside of games, in practice? Are you having to lift them up?

MIKE WOODSON: Practice has been pretty good. But, again, when you get smacked in the face like we did the first half, you’re not going to beat anyone. We didn’t compete. I thought the second half we competed.

Cut it to three and then we stopped competing. We missed free throws, didn’t shoot the three ball. We were 4 for 21 from the three point line. We missed ten free throws. I mean, you cut the lead to three in a close game, those are plays you got complete.

I thought we didn’t and they did during that 14 and 0 run they made.

Q. You guys have lost three straight here at home in conference. I know you said you’ve been playing in spurts and need to defend home court. What’s not clicking here at home?

MIKE WOODSON: Not putting full games together. That’s what frustrating. You have to win at home in the Big10. I said that when I first walked through this door. It’s always been that way. Figure the road out when you get out there, but you can’t lose games at home.

Now we lost more games at home this year than we have in the last two years, and that’s kind of frustrating.

Q. Mike, your team, even as games have gotten lopsided, they seem to fight and keep pushing and making second half runs. (Regarding Ohio State.) What’s the missing piece to sustain those efforts and get over the line?

MIKE WOODSON: You got to do everything right when you put yourself in a position. Ohio State game we did everything right coming down the stretch. Let’s me know they’re still ticking because they didn’t quit. Came out second half and they made a game out of it for a while.

When we did cut it to three I thought we stopped executing, threw the ball away a few times, and took some bad shots, and defensively didn’t get the stops we got prior to getting the lead to three. Almost you got to play a perfect came coming down the stretch especially after being down 20.

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