Postgame Quotes: vs. Wisconsin

Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Wisconsin
Jan. 14, 2023

MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On what the last couple of days have been like...
WOODSON: Well, it's been a lot of film work. There's been a lot of practice. A lot of yelling and screaming and trying to get things accomplished in practice. I thought our guys answered the bell tonight. Our backs were somewhat against the wall and losing three in a row is not fun for anybody. But you know, our guys still had good spirits coming in to practice, and it was a nice carry over today. I mean, we played Indiana defense the way I think we should be playing.

Q. On how he felt about the defensive execution...
WOODSON: No, that's not true. It's what they ran offensively. They reason a bunch of staggers. They had a bunch of pin-aways. They ran what they call chin actions where they cut and move and slice off of people. So there's no nail there. We had other people in position if there was break downs on the basketball, but for the most part, there were not a pick-and-rolls. There were some but not like what we faced here of late. I'll never get away from the nail slot and rim, so that's what we do.

Q. On the defensive effort by Jalen Hood-Schifino...
WOODSON: Again, I mean, it was a total team effort. He played the whole night in a crowd. He saw bodies when he was coming off. I thought our bigs were excellent when they were up on the pick-and-rolls. We got burned a few times where guards got downhill and made plays, but for the most part we were solid for 40 minutes.

Q. On how the team responded after a slow start to the game...
WOODSON: It's a great question because I know defense wins basketball game and I've been about enough games where neither team could score the basketball and it's a dogfight. You know, everybody is scratching and scraping and trying to get a bucket and can't get it and that's how it was the first half. I don't mind games like that. I told our guys at halftime that the defense was solid and if we can just find some offense to get a cushion, we'd be just fine, and I thought we started the second half on a bang. We were great. I think it was an 18-2 run when we started.

Q. On the good things that Jordan Geronimo did...
WOODSON: Gallo? I mean, you say Gallo, right? Oh, Geronimo started for us. I thought he played so within himself tonight. It wasn't even funny. He did a lot of good things defensively. He rebounded the ball. He finished around the rim and we're going to need that. He didn't have to guard anyone that was so much bigger than him. We got cross-matched a couple the finals where the big fella took advantage of him on the block. Other than that, we were able to keep our matchups with Trayce and Malik, and when Logan came in, I thought he gave us some positive minutes. It was just a great total team effort.

Q: On what Jordan Geronimo's effort and athleticism helps the team do...
WOODSON: It's great but it can't just be Geronimo. Everybody has to bring energy. I thought everybody that played tonight, they were touching the offensive man, putting heat on the basketball. We were in great position to help and recover. There was a lot of good things from a defensive standpoint that's been missing. You know, we've just got to build on this game and continue to grow.

Q: On Jalen Hood-Schifino's midrange game...
WOODSON: It was great. He's been good at that pretty much all season. We took eight threes is all we took, and we try to put emphasis on getting the ball inside, which we did that as well.

But Jalen made his mid-range shots. But make no mistake about it, it was our defense that got us in position, defending and rebounding the ball.

Q: On what impresses him most about Jalen Hood-Schifino's mindset...
WOODSON: Well, I'm new at this, guys, and I can only go back to when I was a freshman. He's a little ahead of the game in terms of he's not your typical freshman. He plays like he's been in college a few years. You know, that's a sign of the fact that he's gifted, and he's been blessed with the talent, and he works. You know, he puts himself in that position to be good.

So, I'm not surprised. I saw it his last year at Montverde when he played, he was the same way, just steady. It's been a nice carry overcoming to Indiana wearing that uniform for us.

Q: On Jordan Geronimo's performance...
WOODSON: Well, he looked comfortable. You know, as a coach, when I'm challenging players, you know, sometimes it makes them a little uneasy and get that. But at the end of the day, they have to understand that I'm in their corner and I need them to perform at a high level. It isn't personal, but it's culture; what I call it. I thought he was more relaxed tonight, and he did a lot of positive things on both ends of the floor. I just hope he can just grow from this game and continue to play that well.

JORDAN GERONIMO | FORWARD
Q. On his mentality entering the game...
GERONIMO: Going through those games, just where I didn't produce as much has made me realize like, you know, I have to put more into preparation, you know, watching more film with the coaches and being more focused on what's happening on the court.

Also just being able to play more free without worrying about the extras, you know what I mean. So when I just have that in mind and keep that in mind throughout the game, just playing hard and not worrying about all the other intangibles, I was able to play like myself.

Q. On how he prepares for a game...
GERONIMO: I guess it's not really something I do mentally. I just play without worrying about, oh, I guess, being subbed out or I missed a shot and take it not next play with me. I just have a short memory. Play hard, play physical and make the right play. So, I know what I have those possessions where I don't play well, I'm just like, hey, next possession, let's do it, you know what I mean, let's keep going.

Q. On how a game like tonight can help him moving forward...
GERONIMO: Yeah, having games like this helps my confidence a lot, you know what I mean. Like playing well like this helps me, what's the word -- scratch that.

Basically, I'm trying to say -- what I'm trying to say is having the games like this helps me because in the future, I have more confidence in my abilities and have the impact on the floor and help my teammates get a W.

TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS | FORWARD
Q. On if he felt the defense had to overhelp today with Wisconsin's approach...
JACKSON-DAVIS: I don't think that we overhelp honestly. I think that we just were not in our right spots to begin with, so when you're not in your right spots and you're running in and then back out, then it hurt you because you can't get out quick enough.

When we're in our right spots and we do the defense right, which we've been preaching this whole time is nail, slot rim and you're in your spot, to get in and get out, it's a lot different and that's what you saw today.

Q. On how a game like today helps after a tough stretch...
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, our backs were against the wall, dropping three straight. Especially two of them by one and two points, it's demoralizing, and then going into Penn State and that happening.

So, your backs are against the wall, and we play Wisconsin, a team that I have not beat since I've been here, and obviously they are a little short-handed, but we are shorthanded, too. So, it was a dogfight, and we knew it was going to happen on the defensive end and that's what we preached all week in getting ready and prepared for them. I also thank the crowd because the crowd was a huge piece as well.

Q. On how he was able to have success in the paint against Wisconsin...
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think that's just Coach Woodson in general. It's inside-out and once you get them, kind of our inside position established and get our bigs going and run ball screens and get Malik going, get Trey going, it wears down big and that's what we did, and I thought we did a good job with it.

Q. On what his message has been to Jordan Geronimo the last couple weeks...
JACKSON-DAVIS: Just telling him it's going to take a little bit of time. He's not used to being in the position that he's in. He got thrown into the fire a little bit. I know he's capable of doing big things because last year in the Big Ten Tournament, he set our second and best third player in most of the games.

So just props to him for keeping his head down and grinding and things didn't go his way the last three games, he came out and played really well. I'm proud of him.

Q. On the impact Jordan Geronimo has when he plays like he did against Wisconsin...
JACKSON-DAVIS: Building off that and what he said, just continuing to build. Obviously in this league, you lose three games in a row, but you can also win three games in a row. The Big 10 is the Big 10. Every night is going to be a grind and we have to build off of this. Wisconsin is a great team, and we're going to play a great team tomorrow in Illinois that has had struggled and found success recently. It's going to be a dogfight and it's on their home court, and that's what we've got to get ready for.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

GREG GARD | WISCONSIN HEAD COACH
Q. On losing control of the paint defensively in the second half…
Gard: I thought we had trouble and weren't as physical on the ball and into the ball. And I'll have to look through the tape and see where our ball screener was defensively, if we were back too far, but I thought the first half we had muddied that up for the most part and done a good job of stopping the ball and not letting it get downhill. But the second half from my angle, there were some alleys that didn't appear, that were there in the second half that didn't appear in the first half, so. Part of it is on the ball, of being physical and up on the ball at the time the screen arrives. Part of it on the, where the ball screen coverage is and that there's always always a plug or backside bump and jam up, so, credit to them. Have to spread out probably more by looking to take more than they were in the first half, and they were able to, obviously those first ten possessions are the difference in the second half.

Q. On the low shooting numbers and whether they were good shots or not…
Gard: Yea, I thought we had wide open threes to start the second half and you've got to knock those down, you're on the road and specifically with them making the start to the second half that they did. Part of that is credit to their defense, their pressure they put on Chucky. We got to the rim several times and I don't think we finished as well as we needed to, and we got hesitant. Yea, I mean we had several wide-open looks to start the half that you have to make, you have to counter what they're doing.

Q. On whether blocked shots earlier in the game led to hesitancy from Wisconsin's players…
Gard: At times, yea, at times I thought we were too hesitant and just didn't get to the rim and just go finish the play. We were worried about what was running behind us, so. At times I thought we got there, Max got there and got a three-point play, but not enough of that.

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Jordan Geronimo

Jalen Hood-Schifino

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