Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. No. 18/15 North Carolina
12/1/2022 12:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Indiana vs. No. 18/15 North Carolina
Nov. 30, 2022
MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On the effectiveness of Trayce Jackson-Davis…
WOODSON: Well, it wasn't just Trayce. I thought Trayce had a hell of a game. But this was a total team effort across the board. From a defensive standpoint, we were truly, truly solid from the beginning till the end.
A lot of things didn't go our way from a foul standpoint, but that's what it is. Man, we played through the fouls that were called and was able to bring the game home.
Q. On the team's ability to attack the rim…
WOODSON: We got some pretty good inside players. Malik missed a lot of bunnies around the hole that he normally makes. Trayce was solid again around the bucket. We got Race, who can post it as well. I feel good about our inside-out game with any team.
But it's been our perimeter play that's put us in this position as well. Our bench has come in and given us... I thought Galloway tonight was phenomenal, man, the way he played based on the fact that he hadn't practiced in the last 10, 11 days. It was nice to have him back.
Q. On Trey Galloway…
WOODSON: A lot of it is just playing hard, man. You learn to teach young guys how to play hard, man. That's 90% of it, man. You figure the other 10% out through X's and O's and doing all the little things that help you win.
He he's figured that out. He figured that out a year ago when I took the job. I like everything about him because he plays hard.
Q. On the team's defensive performance…
WOODSON: Well, I got to give a lot of credit to my coaching staff who helped with the game plan, the scout. I mean, Kenya and his supporting cast was phenomenal in terms of putting the game plan together.
I thought our players fell right in line in terms of how we wanted to guard. Make no mistake about it, they got great players over on that side of the ball, man. But I thought tonight our defense is what held in for us. Was able to help us secure the win.
Q. On what tonight's win means…
WOODSON: It's not a statement, man. It's our schedule. We had to play North Carolina, which is a great institution, man, that's had great success with their program for many years.
It was a great matchup tonight. We were able to come out on top. I don't think it's a statement. We got to now start preparing for Rutgers, get ready for the Big Ten because the Big Ten is a grind, as you know. Rutgers is next up.
Q. On getting the win for the fan base…
WOODSON: Again, I think it's great for our fans. I want to thank the fans who slept overnight outside in the cold and rain just to be here today. Boy, that means a great deal to our players and this program.
Our fan base is phenomenal. To have two franchise, if you want to call it, storied colleges, institutions, that have been great in basketball for many years clash like this. Hell, I didn't get a chance to play in Carolina. I was in the bed having back surgery the one year we played them, my senior year. Then we were able to beat them in '81 for the title.
It's always been a battle with this team. They beat us, as a matter of fact, in 1980 here. To return the favor, beat a team that's well-coached, means a great deal to our program.
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schfino's performance…
WOODSON: Jalen, as far as I'm concerned, has been solid ever since I got him. I have no complaints with Jalen Schifino. He tries to do all the right things, the winning things, to help you win. He's great off the court, just a good young man.
I'm pleased how he's been playing. You guys might not be, but I'm happy as hell how he's been playing.
Q. On the maturation of Xavier Johnson…
WOODSON: Well, we needed him on the floor. Thank God he didn't pick up the fouls (laughter).
He's been great for us, man. He's another guy that we all are benefiting from his hard work that he's put in. He's just a different dude this year, man. That's kind of nice to see.
His play on the court is an indication of that 'cause he's playing both sides of the ball. We're asking him to pick up defensively, put heat on the ball, then score the ball as well.
It was kind of his night tonight. We needed every bit of it.
Q. On the game plan against UNC's Caleb Love…
WOODSON: We just tried to guard closely. That kid got unbelievable range with his jump shot. We just tried to stay as close to him as possible.
I thought Galloway did a great job on him early. I thought Jalen did a great job because we matched him up from the beginning.
I think when you're dealing with players that can make shots from the perimeter, you just can't give them much room. I thought tonight we were really good in that area.
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS | FORWARD
Q. On the team's offense in the paint…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think it's huge for us honestly. That's Coach Woodson, since he got the job, he always said play inside-out. We knew North Carolina was going to ice ball screens. Guys like X and Fino getting them downhill in situations where they can make plays was huge for us. They made big plays all night.
Q. On getting the win for the fan base…
JACKSON-DAVIS: It was huge for us, really. You got to beat the best to be the best is what Coach Woodson always says. He was not afraid of competition. That's why we put teams like North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona on our schedule because you got to go toe-to-toe with those teams.
We're going to fight and battle. That's what we're going to do. We go at each other every day just to put on a show in front of these fans. I thought the crowd was electric. It was a great atmosphere to play in, so...
Q. On the team's excellent defense…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, I thought our defense was very constrictive, like an anaconda. It was very, very constrictive. We just really sucked the life out of UNC early and they couldn't get any big shots, honestly.
Obviously they're a really good team, so shots started eventually falling. But by that time we had an 8- to 10-point lead and rode it out till the end of the game.
Q. On how you are feeling and teammate Jalen Hood-Schifino…
JACKSON-DAVIS: First physically, I'm okay. I got a shot before the game, so... I don't really feel anything right now. It is what it is. Probably feel it tomorrow a little bit.
Secondly, Jalen came out and he was really our spark to start the game. He had like our first 10 to 12 points. It was ridiculous. He was hitting big shot after big shot. I think our team fed off of that.
Him being a freshman coming into this environment against that team, doing that, it's really special.
Q. On what this team is capable of…
JACKSON-DAVIS: What we're capable of is playing our next game, which is at Rutgers. I haven't beat Rutgers since I've been here. The RAC has always been a very hostile environment. They've had our number there.
That's the biggest test. That's what I said to our guys this week, I said, UNC is going to be a great team and a great game. Obviously with this crowd, I liked our chances. But the real test is what we're going to do on Saturday with that game because they're a good team and they're very well-coached.
Q. On Trey Galloway's energy…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Trey brings so much energy to our team, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He just thrives off of it. He always guards their best guard. He's always in their head trying to get them to make mistakes. We call him Crazy Man because that's how he is on the defensive end of the floor.
He really thrives off of that, getting steals, out in transition, running. He's a big play-maker.
Q. On how coach Woodson gets the team to defend at a high level…
JACKSON-DAVIS: We just listen to what he has to say. He always talks about the 'nail slot rim'. Those are really big keys for him. He says if we got guys in those positions, everyone is on a body, we can get stops on anybody. That's what we've been preached and taught to do.
JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO | GUARD
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis outplaying UNC's All-American Armando Bacot…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Because he's a big-time player and that's what big-time players do.
Q. On your motivation and playing in this environment…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, it was a big-time game. North Carolina is coming off losing two games. I knew they were going to come in, bring energy, try to knock us off our feet.
For me, I just came in confident, just shot my shot. I feel like I was a spark. When I was hitting my shots, everyone else followed along, brought their energy, just built it up from there.
HUBERT DAVIS | NORTH CAROLINA HEAD COACH
Q. On Indiana scoring 50 points in the paint…
DAVIS: The issue was Trayce Jackson-Davis. They have a player that they can run offense through that can generate points for them on every possession, and as of right now, we don't have that. We don't have that in the post. Not only can he score, he's a gifted passer. And so, if you shrink the floor or you double team, now you're leaving open shooters and, from a defensive standpoint, you're in close outs. And when you're in close outs, guys can put it on the floor and attack the basket. I think another thing is, we're turning the ball over a lot. When we turn the ball over it's a pick-six almost every time. We turned the ball over ten times. They had 17 points on ten turnovers, so that's points in the paint. That was the issue tonight. It was really Trayce Jackson-Davis. Any time they needed a shot, they can get it to him. They can create a shot. Whether they made it or not, I felt like through him they can get the shot they want on pretty much every possession.
Q. On if fatigue played a factor in the loss…
DAVIS: We lost tonight because Indiana was better. I don't think it factored into the outcome of the game, but it is a factor. We've been gone for over a week with a five and a half hour trip out to Portland. Going out there, we had a 10:00 a.m. game, we had different practices, different games to put ourselves in a position to compete tonight. We didn't go back to Chapel Hill, we flew right here, and our guys start exams on Friday. There's a lot going on. But the reason why we lost tonight was because Indiana was better than us. It had nothing to do with the travel and the things that our guys, the responsibilities that they have on the court and in the classroom.
Q. On the team's current mental state…
DAVIS: I'm not discouraged, but I'm disappointed. They should be. If you're a competitor, take nothing away from the game against Iowa State and Alabama, but both of those games we had a seven point lead with three minutes to go. We didn't finish the deal. We were down seven with the ball. We had opportunities and chances. When there needs to be a defensive stop or shot made over the last three games, we have been consistently able to do it. But it hasn't wavered me at all on the type of kids I'm around every day. I love them. I wouldn't pick another 18 guys than the ones we have in the locker room. And I wouldn't pick another 18 guys to go to battle with for the remainder of the year. We're a good basketball team. We haven't played our best the last three games, but we're going to get better and we're going to improve. We're going to bounce back.
