Indiana University Athletics
#IUBB Media Availability – March 8
3/8/2022 11:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Below are full transcripts of the Zoom press conferences with Indiana head men's basketball coach Mike Woodson, junior/sophomore forward Trayce Jackson-Davis and redshirt senior/junior Race Thompson on Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
Head Coach Mike Woodson
Q. On the intensity in the first Michigan game…
WOODSON: You would think after the big game we had against Purdue, everybody would be sky high. I mean, I think we came out with great intentions to play hard, but we just didn't sustain it.
After watching the film again, we did nothing right in that game, I mean, on both endings of the floor. Our defensive coverages were awful. It was one of those games where I just thought we didn't show up to play. They took advantage of it on both ends of the floor.
Q. On Hunter Dickinson…
WOODSON: Our bigs are going to just have to play him. I thought he had his way. He was very boisterous about it. He came in and had a monster game. You're not going to beat that team if you don't slow him down. So, we're going to have to do a better job on him to the point where he can't dominate like he did. I thought that was the difference.
Yeah, they made threes, but I just thought he was the X factor. He did whatever the hell he wanted to do. We just can't let that happen again.
Q. On learning opportunities from the first matchup…
WOODSON: It wasn't pretty watching again yesterday, I will tell you that. I think we just got to start fresh and regroup. Again, we hadn't had really any games like that. I mean, you think about it, we hit the first shot to start the second half, cut it to six. That was as close as we ever got again.
You got to give Michigan a lot of credit, man. They came in here, made shots. The big fella was huge. We had no answer for it.
We got to eliminate the shots that they made here and we got to do a better job on Dickinson.
Q. On playing the bench in a must-win game…
WOODSON: You can't worry about the second game until you win the first game. I mean, I've been playing seven, eight guys. I know Michigan is going to probably play six to seven guys at the most, significant minutes. I know their first unit along with Terrence Williams II off the bench, they basically occupy all the minutes.
When I go to the bench, I got to make sure that we're doing what we have to do. In these tournaments, just in Big Ten play alone, you can be down four, five points, and that can turn into 10, 12 points right away if you don't have key players on the floor.
I just got to watch that closely and see where we are.
Q. On blocking out the outside noise…
WOODSON: I wish I had the answer for that, I do, in terms of these guys just staying away from it.
Once they leave me, go to class, spend time with their friends, teammates, once they're away from the arena, the gym, social media plays a major role, man. You can't control it.
All I can do is when they're here, talk to them about it, try to push them in the right direction in terms of what's in front of us, what's staring us in the face. At the end of the day, we got to win. I've known that the last two weeks.
We've lost two tough games. You figure if you win one, maybe both of them, you and I wouldn't be having this conversation about trying to get into the tournament play. We just would be worrying about the Big Ten tournament.
We just got to stay positive. I got to continue to push 'em these next two days to get us ready for Thursday.
Q. On the adjustment in timeout usage…
WOODSON: I am so used to so many timeouts. The other night I used them all because I was trying to kill the run. I ran out of timeouts.
But a place like Purdue, I don't regret what I did because it gets crazy in there. We could have easily gone from 10 to 20 in that building.
I got to just work closely with my coaching staff to make sure that I at least have one coming down the homestretch in case we got to dribble the ball up, I can get it in the front court.
But, I mean, again, I don't think that that beat us the other night. I personally don't think that. We had our shots. I mean, Parker makes the three, now the pressure's back on them being up one, us having to get one stop.
But I got to get better. My coaches have got to help me a little bit more and I got to get better in terms of figuring out the timeouts because we don't have as many as we did when I was in the NBA. I got to work on that.
Q. On the status of Trey Galloway…
WOODSON: He played in the game, the first game. I just didn't think any of our guys played great in that game. We were awful I thought.
Yes, we need him. He's been a big piece of the puzzle. We knew that coming into the season. He and Rob Phinisee both. Rob has missed 10 games. Now I think he's up to 13, 14 games, Trey.
It hurts that they've missed the games because, again, we were counting on those guys to be a part of it. I mean, if he's able to come back, I'm going to accept him with open arms. We need bodies. He's been pretty good when he's been in uniform and on the floor for us.
But I don't know if he's even going to come back. I'm going to be honest with you guys. He hasn't really been able to practice.
My theme has always been the next guy has got to be ready to play. That's all we can do at this point.
Q. On teaching this team to win…
WOODSON: I don't think there's anything you can point to. You put them in the best position possible. You try to.
When I look at the other night, 17 seconds, we executed the hell out of the play, but we came up empty. We didn't make the shot. I mean, it was a wide-open shot. Underneath out of bounds, we've executed that play where Trayce Jackson-Davis has gotten the lob, Phinisee has hit the jump shot in the corner as well as Parker Stewart against Rutgers.
Why Miller Kopp threw the ball low versus throwing the ball high? He was wide open. You can't explain those situations. As a coach, you go through it with them just like they experienced it.
I think when you start consistently finishing plays like that and the win comes behind it, then it becomes natural. We've just had so many miscues coming down the homestretch. Ohio State, we leave a guy open under the bucket. Well, we don't teach that, but hell, it happened. That was probably the biggest play of that game. I mean, you can name them all.
If you win those games, they're in a good place mentally in terms of moving forward each time they're in that position. We haven't won 'em. So, we keep making some of the same mistakes, missing some wide-open shots that other teams seem to make against us.
It's one of those things. We've just got to keep working our way through it.
Q. On spreading the offense out and letting Xavier Johnson play freely…
WOODSON: If you watched my New York teams, that's kind of how we played. But I had multiple guys that could handle the ball and play pick-and-roll basketball.
It's probably the first time since I've been here with our offense that we've been able to open the floor up like that because I saw something based on what Matt Painter and [Purdue] were doing defensively.
But you still got to be able to make shots behind opening the floor. You got to be able to throw the lob, which we were able to do, getting Trayce some dunks or layups in that regard.
When you open the floor up, there's a lot of things that come into play based on how the defense is playing. I mean, everybody plays it pretty much in college. But I hadn't gone to it that much because we just -- a lot of teams just sit in. Purdue, they tagged from the backside, and their bigs just stay in the paint. It gave us the pocket pass, it gave us the throwback based on the tag. A lot of teams don't play us that way. That's why we hadn't run it that much.
But you still got to make shots when you open the floor like that. I thought we had some good looks again. Miller was pretty damn good in it the other night. That's not to say we won't exploit it again. A lot of it is how the defense is playing us.
Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis
Q. On being named to the All-Big Ten second team…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Honestly, my biggest goal this year wasn't to win accolades. It was to help our team get into the tournament. I was on the First Team last year, so it is what it is. I don't really care.
I think it's still an honor, but at the same time, I'm here to try to help us win. We've got a Big Ten tournament to worry about, so I'm worried about that.
Q. On guarding Hunter Dickinson…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think that a big thing for us, I think our ball screen defense wasn't very well that game. Then our veers weren't really well. Basically, when they came off screens, if our guards get hit, we were supposed to switch and we didn't switch, so it let them have wide-open shots, and he was hitting them. That's going to be big for us, taking him away, because he was hot from the three-point line that game, and he's been shooting the ball really well.
Q. On the importance of the Big Ten Tournament…
JACKSON-DAVIS: It's a must-win because Michigan at the same time, nothing's set in stone, especially with all these upsets that are happening in these conference tournaments with the mid-major teams. We've still got to go out and prepare, but we're trying to go win the tournament.
Michigan is the first team on our schedule. We've got to worry about them. They're playing really well. They just beat Ohio State, who's a great team, at Ohio State. So, we're going to have to go out there and fight and try to get a W.
Q. On the conversation around the bubble…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think everyone in our locker room knows how much we need this game, and they're willing to do anything to win. We know where we stand, and we know that we have to go get this one.
Q. On the mentality heading into the rematch…
JACKSON-DAVIS: You've just got to -- you've still got to -- you can't let the pressure get to you, of course, first and foremost. We're coming off of a Purdue team that we just took down to the wire. That was great team. Probably going to be a 1 seed when it's all said and done.
But at the same time, Michigan is a team that we came off that Purdue game and we were on a high, and we came in and they were maybe 13-10, 12-9, something. Their record wasn't very good. So we took them for granted, and they came in here and they spanked us.
Just trying to get revenge, and we've got to play harder and we've got to play better because I know how good we are as a team. If we play together, I know we can win.
Q. On the high pack-and-roll offense…
JACKSON-DAVIS: That's how it plays actually is something I'm very used to, using my athleticism, getting behind the bigs for lobs or easy dunks. I think that's the same with Xavier. I think Xavier is really good at spreading the floor and making the right plays.
I think it's going to be big for us moving forward. I've kind of talked to Coach, and less back to the basket and more running out and setting ball screens.
Q. On the late-game execution…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think it's always just coming down to one possession, just one possession that can kill you. We had one possession, it was one possession against Purdue, one possession against Rutgers. Those last possessions, we've got to be the most locked-in team and the readiest team, whether it be one stop or to execute a play. We've got to just be able to do that.
Q. On expanding his game to incorporate a jumper…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I'm just listening to what Coach Woodson's saying. Basically, we draw direct ATL plays and plays in the huddle, and then our offense is mostly where I'm back to the basket. So, I'm just listening to what he's doing, and if it's going to put us in the best position to win, I'm just listening to what he says.
I think that most of the games it's worked because we've been two points, one point away from winning, especially against these teams that are top-25 teams. So, I feel like we're doing the right things. We've just got to get over the hump, what he says basically.
Q. On views of pressure…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Actually, our strength coach said, pressure is a privilege. So it's a privilege to be put in this situation, and maybe it's not always a good thing, but a lot of people wish they were in this position. Even though we're fighting on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, we're still here, and we have pressure to perform. A lot of teams are looking in from the outside, and they have no chance of making it unless they win the tournament, which is up in the air.
So just for us to be in the position that we're in and still to be able to make the tournament by winning one or two games is really big for us. Yeah, you can view it as a negative thing, but it's not going to help you. So, I just try to take that pressure and just help me perform.
Q. On offensive production the last two years…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think that it's my coaches and my teammates honestly. My coaches put me in positions that help me score the ball, and then my teammates help me facilitate the ball to me, put me in the right positions. It's obviously all credit to them.
I've been blessed to play here the last three years and then the last two years being able to show my abilities a little bit more in scoring the ball and doing stuff of that nature. It's been a really fun experience.
Still got more work to do, and we'll see what happens here in the future.
Q. On being named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think it's another way that I've showcased my abilities on the defensive end of the floor, especially with blocking shots, being able to step over and help block shots because I wasn't able to do that the last two years. I knew I was always capable of it because I did it in high school.
It's really an honor and a blessing. J.D.'s talked about it. He said that it's been a while since someone's been named from Indiana on the Big Ten team, or defensive team. I think it's a really cool honor.
Forward Race Thompson
Q. On the mentality heading into the rematch…
THOMPSON: I think as a team we know what we have to do. Again, we're coming into a different tournament and going to win it.
We're focused on Michigan right now, and that's a team we believe we can beat on any given night. Last time we played them we were riding a little bit hot, and you can't do that, otherwise you'll get beat in the Big Ten. We're ready to play and excited to get down there.
Q. On improvements that need to be made in this game…
THOMPSON: I think we weren't ourselves that game on either end of the floor. We weren't playing our defense correctly. We watched the film yesterday and have been watching it today and will probably watch some more tomorrow.
Looking back at it, we really weren't playing like ourselves on defense or on offense. Again, I think that just goes to feeling a little bit too good about ourselves. I think that if we can play defense how we've been playing it the past week or two, we'll be in good shape.
Q. On his future with IU…
THOMPSON: I haven't made any decision yet if I'm leaving or if I'm coming back. Either-or, it's up in the air. Yeah, it was emotional because I'm in the unknown. Coming off an emotional game, the feelings I had towards my teammates, towards my managers, towards my coaches, towards the fans is really -- if that was my last game in Assembly Hall, it's definitely an emotional one.
But again, it's very possible I could be coming back. Again, it's just really up in the air.
Q. On the conversation with the bubble…
THOMPSON: You can't really avoid it. It's what we do. We play college basketball. We watch college basketball all day. If you're watching the game, you're hearing about it and everything.
Again, I said it before, we know what we have to do in order to get where we want to go, which is to the NCAA Tournament. Again, we're going to Indy to win the Big Ten tournament, and we all believe we can do that. We've just got to figure out a way to finish these games.
Yeah, we see it. I heard Trayce say pressure is a privilege, and I mean it really is. We're really excited to get to Indy.
Q. On the lineups Michigan uses…
THOMPSON: It just comes down to how hard you play. I played the five last year, and I think I did a good job guarding the five. It really just comes down to the efforts you're willing to put in. I think that going to Indy we're putting -- we've got to go balls to the wall and give all we've got every game.
They've got big guys. So do we. We'll be ready when it comes down to it.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
THOMPSON: He's been really good for us. He's the head of the snake, in my eyes. We go as he goes. I mean, he's been really locked in in practice watching film, putting extra work in, and just keeping his head down and just staying focused on the team and how he can do his best to make our team better.
I think we can get him to keep doing that for the rest of the season then we'll be a tough team to beat.
Q. On compositing so hard against Purdue on the road…
THOMPSON: I mean, you could say that about a lot of games this season. I mean, we're really in most of the games right up until the end. We know we can beat these teams. We've just got to really figure out a way to beat them. I wouldn't say it gave us confidence because we didn't win the game, but we know we can play with anybody in the country any given night. I don't think that's new based off our last game. I mean, we all know that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Head Coach Mike Woodson
Q. On the intensity in the first Michigan game…
WOODSON: You would think after the big game we had against Purdue, everybody would be sky high. I mean, I think we came out with great intentions to play hard, but we just didn't sustain it.
After watching the film again, we did nothing right in that game, I mean, on both endings of the floor. Our defensive coverages were awful. It was one of those games where I just thought we didn't show up to play. They took advantage of it on both ends of the floor.
Q. On Hunter Dickinson…
WOODSON: Our bigs are going to just have to play him. I thought he had his way. He was very boisterous about it. He came in and had a monster game. You're not going to beat that team if you don't slow him down. So, we're going to have to do a better job on him to the point where he can't dominate like he did. I thought that was the difference.
Yeah, they made threes, but I just thought he was the X factor. He did whatever the hell he wanted to do. We just can't let that happen again.
Q. On learning opportunities from the first matchup…
WOODSON: It wasn't pretty watching again yesterday, I will tell you that. I think we just got to start fresh and regroup. Again, we hadn't had really any games like that. I mean, you think about it, we hit the first shot to start the second half, cut it to six. That was as close as we ever got again.
You got to give Michigan a lot of credit, man. They came in here, made shots. The big fella was huge. We had no answer for it.
We got to eliminate the shots that they made here and we got to do a better job on Dickinson.
Q. On playing the bench in a must-win game…
WOODSON: You can't worry about the second game until you win the first game. I mean, I've been playing seven, eight guys. I know Michigan is going to probably play six to seven guys at the most, significant minutes. I know their first unit along with Terrence Williams II off the bench, they basically occupy all the minutes.
When I go to the bench, I got to make sure that we're doing what we have to do. In these tournaments, just in Big Ten play alone, you can be down four, five points, and that can turn into 10, 12 points right away if you don't have key players on the floor.
I just got to watch that closely and see where we are.
Q. On blocking out the outside noise…
WOODSON: I wish I had the answer for that, I do, in terms of these guys just staying away from it.
Once they leave me, go to class, spend time with their friends, teammates, once they're away from the arena, the gym, social media plays a major role, man. You can't control it.
All I can do is when they're here, talk to them about it, try to push them in the right direction in terms of what's in front of us, what's staring us in the face. At the end of the day, we got to win. I've known that the last two weeks.
We've lost two tough games. You figure if you win one, maybe both of them, you and I wouldn't be having this conversation about trying to get into the tournament play. We just would be worrying about the Big Ten tournament.
We just got to stay positive. I got to continue to push 'em these next two days to get us ready for Thursday.
Q. On the adjustment in timeout usage…
WOODSON: I am so used to so many timeouts. The other night I used them all because I was trying to kill the run. I ran out of timeouts.
But a place like Purdue, I don't regret what I did because it gets crazy in there. We could have easily gone from 10 to 20 in that building.
I got to just work closely with my coaching staff to make sure that I at least have one coming down the homestretch in case we got to dribble the ball up, I can get it in the front court.
But, I mean, again, I don't think that that beat us the other night. I personally don't think that. We had our shots. I mean, Parker makes the three, now the pressure's back on them being up one, us having to get one stop.
But I got to get better. My coaches have got to help me a little bit more and I got to get better in terms of figuring out the timeouts because we don't have as many as we did when I was in the NBA. I got to work on that.
Q. On the status of Trey Galloway…
WOODSON: He played in the game, the first game. I just didn't think any of our guys played great in that game. We were awful I thought.
Yes, we need him. He's been a big piece of the puzzle. We knew that coming into the season. He and Rob Phinisee both. Rob has missed 10 games. Now I think he's up to 13, 14 games, Trey.
It hurts that they've missed the games because, again, we were counting on those guys to be a part of it. I mean, if he's able to come back, I'm going to accept him with open arms. We need bodies. He's been pretty good when he's been in uniform and on the floor for us.
But I don't know if he's even going to come back. I'm going to be honest with you guys. He hasn't really been able to practice.
My theme has always been the next guy has got to be ready to play. That's all we can do at this point.
Q. On teaching this team to win…
WOODSON: I don't think there's anything you can point to. You put them in the best position possible. You try to.
When I look at the other night, 17 seconds, we executed the hell out of the play, but we came up empty. We didn't make the shot. I mean, it was a wide-open shot. Underneath out of bounds, we've executed that play where Trayce Jackson-Davis has gotten the lob, Phinisee has hit the jump shot in the corner as well as Parker Stewart against Rutgers.
Why Miller Kopp threw the ball low versus throwing the ball high? He was wide open. You can't explain those situations. As a coach, you go through it with them just like they experienced it.
I think when you start consistently finishing plays like that and the win comes behind it, then it becomes natural. We've just had so many miscues coming down the homestretch. Ohio State, we leave a guy open under the bucket. Well, we don't teach that, but hell, it happened. That was probably the biggest play of that game. I mean, you can name them all.
If you win those games, they're in a good place mentally in terms of moving forward each time they're in that position. We haven't won 'em. So, we keep making some of the same mistakes, missing some wide-open shots that other teams seem to make against us.
It's one of those things. We've just got to keep working our way through it.
Q. On spreading the offense out and letting Xavier Johnson play freely…
WOODSON: If you watched my New York teams, that's kind of how we played. But I had multiple guys that could handle the ball and play pick-and-roll basketball.
It's probably the first time since I've been here with our offense that we've been able to open the floor up like that because I saw something based on what Matt Painter and [Purdue] were doing defensively.
But you still got to be able to make shots behind opening the floor. You got to be able to throw the lob, which we were able to do, getting Trayce some dunks or layups in that regard.
When you open the floor up, there's a lot of things that come into play based on how the defense is playing. I mean, everybody plays it pretty much in college. But I hadn't gone to it that much because we just -- a lot of teams just sit in. Purdue, they tagged from the backside, and their bigs just stay in the paint. It gave us the pocket pass, it gave us the throwback based on the tag. A lot of teams don't play us that way. That's why we hadn't run it that much.
But you still got to make shots when you open the floor like that. I thought we had some good looks again. Miller was pretty damn good in it the other night. That's not to say we won't exploit it again. A lot of it is how the defense is playing us.
Forward Trayce Jackson-Davis
Q. On being named to the All-Big Ten second team…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Honestly, my biggest goal this year wasn't to win accolades. It was to help our team get into the tournament. I was on the First Team last year, so it is what it is. I don't really care.
I think it's still an honor, but at the same time, I'm here to try to help us win. We've got a Big Ten tournament to worry about, so I'm worried about that.
Q. On guarding Hunter Dickinson…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think that a big thing for us, I think our ball screen defense wasn't very well that game. Then our veers weren't really well. Basically, when they came off screens, if our guards get hit, we were supposed to switch and we didn't switch, so it let them have wide-open shots, and he was hitting them. That's going to be big for us, taking him away, because he was hot from the three-point line that game, and he's been shooting the ball really well.
Q. On the importance of the Big Ten Tournament…
JACKSON-DAVIS: It's a must-win because Michigan at the same time, nothing's set in stone, especially with all these upsets that are happening in these conference tournaments with the mid-major teams. We've still got to go out and prepare, but we're trying to go win the tournament.
Michigan is the first team on our schedule. We've got to worry about them. They're playing really well. They just beat Ohio State, who's a great team, at Ohio State. So, we're going to have to go out there and fight and try to get a W.
Q. On the conversation around the bubble…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think everyone in our locker room knows how much we need this game, and they're willing to do anything to win. We know where we stand, and we know that we have to go get this one.
Q. On the mentality heading into the rematch…
JACKSON-DAVIS: You've just got to -- you've still got to -- you can't let the pressure get to you, of course, first and foremost. We're coming off of a Purdue team that we just took down to the wire. That was great team. Probably going to be a 1 seed when it's all said and done.
But at the same time, Michigan is a team that we came off that Purdue game and we were on a high, and we came in and they were maybe 13-10, 12-9, something. Their record wasn't very good. So we took them for granted, and they came in here and they spanked us.
Just trying to get revenge, and we've got to play harder and we've got to play better because I know how good we are as a team. If we play together, I know we can win.
Q. On the high pack-and-roll offense…
JACKSON-DAVIS: That's how it plays actually is something I'm very used to, using my athleticism, getting behind the bigs for lobs or easy dunks. I think that's the same with Xavier. I think Xavier is really good at spreading the floor and making the right plays.
I think it's going to be big for us moving forward. I've kind of talked to Coach, and less back to the basket and more running out and setting ball screens.
Q. On the late-game execution…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think it's always just coming down to one possession, just one possession that can kill you. We had one possession, it was one possession against Purdue, one possession against Rutgers. Those last possessions, we've got to be the most locked-in team and the readiest team, whether it be one stop or to execute a play. We've got to just be able to do that.
Q. On expanding his game to incorporate a jumper…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I'm just listening to what Coach Woodson's saying. Basically, we draw direct ATL plays and plays in the huddle, and then our offense is mostly where I'm back to the basket. So, I'm just listening to what he's doing, and if it's going to put us in the best position to win, I'm just listening to what he says.
I think that most of the games it's worked because we've been two points, one point away from winning, especially against these teams that are top-25 teams. So, I feel like we're doing the right things. We've just got to get over the hump, what he says basically.
Q. On views of pressure…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Actually, our strength coach said, pressure is a privilege. So it's a privilege to be put in this situation, and maybe it's not always a good thing, but a lot of people wish they were in this position. Even though we're fighting on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, we're still here, and we have pressure to perform. A lot of teams are looking in from the outside, and they have no chance of making it unless they win the tournament, which is up in the air.
So just for us to be in the position that we're in and still to be able to make the tournament by winning one or two games is really big for us. Yeah, you can view it as a negative thing, but it's not going to help you. So, I just try to take that pressure and just help me perform.
Q. On offensive production the last two years…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think that it's my coaches and my teammates honestly. My coaches put me in positions that help me score the ball, and then my teammates help me facilitate the ball to me, put me in the right positions. It's obviously all credit to them.
I've been blessed to play here the last three years and then the last two years being able to show my abilities a little bit more in scoring the ball and doing stuff of that nature. It's been a really fun experience.
Still got more work to do, and we'll see what happens here in the future.
Q. On being named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I just think it's another way that I've showcased my abilities on the defensive end of the floor, especially with blocking shots, being able to step over and help block shots because I wasn't able to do that the last two years. I knew I was always capable of it because I did it in high school.
It's really an honor and a blessing. J.D.'s talked about it. He said that it's been a while since someone's been named from Indiana on the Big Ten team, or defensive team. I think it's a really cool honor.
Forward Race Thompson
Q. On the mentality heading into the rematch…
THOMPSON: I think as a team we know what we have to do. Again, we're coming into a different tournament and going to win it.
We're focused on Michigan right now, and that's a team we believe we can beat on any given night. Last time we played them we were riding a little bit hot, and you can't do that, otherwise you'll get beat in the Big Ten. We're ready to play and excited to get down there.
Q. On improvements that need to be made in this game…
THOMPSON: I think we weren't ourselves that game on either end of the floor. We weren't playing our defense correctly. We watched the film yesterday and have been watching it today and will probably watch some more tomorrow.
Looking back at it, we really weren't playing like ourselves on defense or on offense. Again, I think that just goes to feeling a little bit too good about ourselves. I think that if we can play defense how we've been playing it the past week or two, we'll be in good shape.
Q. On his future with IU…
THOMPSON: I haven't made any decision yet if I'm leaving or if I'm coming back. Either-or, it's up in the air. Yeah, it was emotional because I'm in the unknown. Coming off an emotional game, the feelings I had towards my teammates, towards my managers, towards my coaches, towards the fans is really -- if that was my last game in Assembly Hall, it's definitely an emotional one.
But again, it's very possible I could be coming back. Again, it's just really up in the air.
Q. On the conversation with the bubble…
THOMPSON: You can't really avoid it. It's what we do. We play college basketball. We watch college basketball all day. If you're watching the game, you're hearing about it and everything.
Again, I said it before, we know what we have to do in order to get where we want to go, which is to the NCAA Tournament. Again, we're going to Indy to win the Big Ten tournament, and we all believe we can do that. We've just got to figure out a way to finish these games.
Yeah, we see it. I heard Trayce say pressure is a privilege, and I mean it really is. We're really excited to get to Indy.
Q. On the lineups Michigan uses…
THOMPSON: It just comes down to how hard you play. I played the five last year, and I think I did a good job guarding the five. It really just comes down to the efforts you're willing to put in. I think that going to Indy we're putting -- we've got to go balls to the wall and give all we've got every game.
They've got big guys. So do we. We'll be ready when it comes down to it.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
THOMPSON: He's been really good for us. He's the head of the snake, in my eyes. We go as he goes. I mean, he's been really locked in in practice watching film, putting extra work in, and just keeping his head down and just staying focused on the team and how he can do his best to make our team better.
I think we can get him to keep doing that for the rest of the season then we'll be a tough team to beat.
Q. On compositing so hard against Purdue on the road…
THOMPSON: I mean, you could say that about a lot of games this season. I mean, we're really in most of the games right up until the end. We know we can beat these teams. We've just got to really figure out a way to beat them. I wouldn't say it gave us confidence because we didn't win the game, but we know we can play with anybody in the country any given night. I don't think that's new based off our last game. I mean, we all know that.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballDarian DeVries Pregame Press Conference
Thursday, October 16
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Tuesday, October 14
FB: D'Angelo Ponds Media Availability (10/14/25)
Tuesday, October 14
FB: Roman Hemby Media Availability (10/14/25)
Tuesday, October 14