Postgame Quotes: vs. No. 1/1 Purdue
2/4/2023 6:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Indiana vs. No. 1/1 Purdue
Feb. 4, 2023
MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On the halftime conversations and handling the lead...
WOODSON: Again, you're not the No. 1 team in the country and not be able to make runs. I thought we played extremely well the first half. I mean, from the start to the end of that half, boy, our defense was really, really good.
And you know, I thought we got a little stagnant the second half, and their defense picked up and we didn't have a lot of answers big Edey the second half, he kind of had his way. But he's a big load, man, for any team.
I thought for the most part we battled him, and then we made the plays that we needed to make coming home.
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino's composure to bounce back...
WOODSON: Well, again, Jalen has been great here at home. He's had some good moments on the road and I've got to get everybody and we're out on the road to play like they do here at home. That's been the big test for our ballclub this season. But you know, he asked for the ball coming down the stretch and drew up two plays to get it to him, and he delivered.
Q. On the lessons you learned from the two halves today...
WOODSON: It lets me know we're taking as a team. We didn't cave. You know, this team has had its ups and downs but when we've been in ballgames we've been able to deliver. I thought we got two big defensive stops coming down the stretch and then Jalen hit two big buckets to give us the cushion that we needed. You've got to have that when you talk about trying to win at a high level and tonight I thought they answered the bell.
Q. On what today's win meant...
WOODSON: It means a lot but it don't mean anything unless you can validate it. Our next game is against Rutgers, a team that we've struggled against that's kind of had their way. You know, we've got to start preparing and preparing for them now.
This game is behind us. I told the guys, they can celebrate for about an hour and then we've got to start thinking about Rutgers (laughter).
Q. On the defensive performance...
WOODSON: Well, again, guys, we've had some games this season. You know, I point to the North Carolina game when we had a full deck. I mean, we was as good as any team in the country playing that game. We've had our moments and we've had our struggles.
But at the end of the day, we answered the bell today. I thought our coaching staff did a great job in terms of prepping and getting guys in position to do what was asked of them and we delivered what we needed to deliver a win.
Q. On the crowd...
WOODSON: Oh, we've got the best fans in college basketball in, doubt in my mind. I've seen it for 40-some years of my life, since I came in here in 1976, the fan base here has not wavered one bit and they were fantastic tonight.
Q. On stopping Purdue's freshmen guards...
WOODSON: I thought they played a major role. I mean, they had been playing extremely well and they are good players, no doubt about that. You're not 22-1 for nothing. Those guys have helped carry the load for their ballclub. I thought tonight we did a pretty damn good job on their guards.
Q. On what makes this team different in handling adversity...
WOODSON: Well, last year's team wasn't that way, and it's kind of a carryover into this season with the guys that came back.
And then we've got, I think, four competitive freshmen. It's a shame I can't play them all but you know, I thought Malik gave us some positive minutes. Kaleb came in and gave us some positive minutes. You know, those guys are future guys that we're going to have to lean on to get better over the summer and get ready for the next seasons that they are here.
But I don't know, I mean, this is Trayce and Race and X who is not with us right now, and Miller, this is their last go-around. No time to quit. They have got something to prove, too. The Big Ten Championship is still out there, and somebody's got to win it. So I mean, we've just got to keep hammering and scraping and scratching and see where it leads us.
Q. On the turnover advantage...
WOODSON: I just thought our pressure early put us in a different place defensively. Their team, they rarely turn the ball over. But I just thought our pressure allowed them to make mistakes, and we doubled Edey some early; that helped us, I thought. But I just thought the game plan was perfect and now this is behind us and we've got to start thinking about Rutgers.
Q. On the energy and effort...
WOODSON: Yes, Edey and Trayce Jackson are two of the top players in the country I think and they showed that tonight. But I thought our supporting cast played a little bit better than theirs tonight, and we needed to because they -- Gillis has been playing well.
Listen, they are 22-1, man. They have been playing some damn good basketball. Painter has done a great job with them but tonight was just our night.
Q. On Trayce Jackson Davis' attitude and preparation...
WOODSON: Well, again, it's just not his preparation. Everybody has to be -- he can't do it by himself, and I thought everybody that played contributed. You know, it's got to be that way. Everybody knows that Trayce is our best player and the ball is going to go to him. But the supporting cast have got to be able to do their part and I thought they did that tonight.
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS | FORWARD
Q. On everyone leveling up in today's game...
JACKSON-DAVIS: It was huge. Just relying on my teammates, our game plan, just doubling the posts, and they did an excellent job in the first half. It really brought us out to that lead and we cared it through the second half and rode it. Obviously had he hit back but all around it was a great team effort.
Q. On the growth of Hood-Schifino...
JACKSON-DAVIS: It's huge, honestly. He lives for these big moments. In the first half, I was kind of carrying the load a little bit and then the second half he was carrying the load and that's something that we can do. We've got a lot of pieces on our team that are just interchangeable and they can do big things. He's a great player and I love it when he gets to that many because it's really unguardable.
Q. On being able to make the little plays...
JACKSON-DAVIS: It's a toughness factor. I feel like teams in the past I've been on weren't that tough honestly and we kind of played with a chip on our shoulder since the beginning of the year since we got pumped by Rutgers. We kind of found our niche, and that's what we're doing and that's how we've got to play the rest of the year.
Q. On the crowd's impact...
JACKSON-DAVIS: They were our sixth man, honestly. We fed off that, especially in the first half. I feel like just shot after shot after shot were dropping and that was the most electric crowd I've been a part of since I've been here. They did a great job, so props to them. They really helped us.
Q. On carrying the mometum to Rutgers on Tuesday...
JACKSON-DAVIS: Just our defensive intensity, honestly. They are a great team and they play very, very hard on defense and they kind of bring that trap kind of like Purdue did today. We have to make adjustments and watch film and get ready for them tomorrow?
Q. On wanting the ball for the final shot...
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, I mean, obviously I didn't know the play was going to go like that but when he called a time-out I told coach, I'm going to get this last bucket and as you can see, that's what happened. Yeah, I was happy with it.
Q. On the ability to bounce back today...
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, I mean, games like that, your shots not falling, I don't really look at it as a bad game for me. I went 1 for 14 but in my head I still shot the ball. I took a positive from that. Some games are going to be ups and downs and you're going to miss shots and you have to find ways to impact the game.
Tonight is one of them nights where I felt like I played well; and obviously Trayce played well, and the rest of the guys played well, and it was a good team effort.
Q. On the breakway play...
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, my knee buckled a little bit. Was a little scary at first but I'm good.
Q. On first-half turnovers…
PAINTER: "No question that (turnovers) and free throws. We actually did a pretty good job in the second half not turning it over until the end. We had three costly turnovers at the end where we needed to get a crack at it. We really talked about they pressured and got into us last year, we had ten turnovers in the first half last year. We came back and actually took the lead in that game and they made that shot at the end. We said that we can't repeat that, we had to let someone beat us a different way. Keep giving yourself a chance and take care of the basketball. So when you had eleven turnovers in the first half, and the game before you had seven for the whole game, that just hurts you. Our guys were resilient and they battled back, but not good enough-not making our free throws, turning the basketball over. When you out rebound somebody by sixteen, and you have somebody who gets thirty-three and eighteen, you should win the game. That should've been ours. Give them credit, they made more plays than we did down the stretch."
Q. On what led to first-half turnovers…
PAINTER: "Not concentrating and not being tough, generally speaking. I can go through all eleven (guys) if you want watching film. You got an offensive foul in the post on one of them, you got a careless pass on another. Their activity was good. A lot of times, you guys ask questions but I can only give it from my perspective. So to me, it's Purdue. But, it could have been because of great defense by Indiana. Each possession is different. If you talk about missed free throws, you're talking about a free throw. Same thing all the ay through, right? Fifteen feet, and no one is guarding you. But turnovers are different. Some can be travels and some can be double-dribbles. But the pick-six's kill you, and they just kept getting in transition. It happened last year, too. Trayce got in foul trouble last year in the first half and they just kept playing in transition. Not to say they can't play in the half court because they really shot the ball well in the first half. You would just prefer someone to go against a set defense instead of a continuous three-on-two, or a four-on-one, or a four-on-two, any type of break.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
