Postgame Quotes vs. Ohio State
1/6/2024 11:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Ohio State
Jan. 6, 2023
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On Malik Reneau's development and impressive improvement…
WOODSON: This summer, you know, he put a lot of work in. Never really left campus. Got his weight down. The baby fat that he had last year has trimmed down.
So you just got to tip your hat to him. He put the work in this summer and it's paying off.
Q. On the improvement of the three-point defense in the second half…
WOODSON: Well, it wasn't like we were touching them. I thought our defense from the 15-minute mark on was pretty good, but the second-chance shots they got, they had good looks.
You know, we just were so awful rebounding the ball tonight. They had good looks spraying the ball back out. They was just bouncing funny and we couldn't come up with it.
For the most part when we were setting in our half court defense we were pretty good in terms of switching up and touching and making sure guys weren't just facing up, shooting threes in our face.
Q. On Xavier Johnson's performance after the Nebraska game…
WOODSON: You can blame me a little bit because, again, he hadn't had much floor time in practice. You know, I just didn't want to blow him out the first game.
He was a little irritated at me, and I get that, because only played him 14 minutes. His 14 minutes were awful. I don't care how you look at it, you get 14 minutes, you got to be positive, do some things to help us win the game.
He didn't do that. Today I told him at would shootaround I was going to play him, let him loose. I thought he was huge tonight. I gave him the game ball, him and CJ. I thought CJ was excellent coming off the bench for us.
Q. On coming off a game with 19 turnovers and only our against Ohio State…
WOODSON: It brings a smile to my face. That's all I can tell you. I mean, that was miserable sitting through that in Nebraska, just giving them the basketball.
We talked about it. We watched the game when we came back as a team. After I watched it a couple times, it was just awful. But we rebounded from it. Learned from it. Only had four turnovers today, which is kind of nice.
Q. On what allowed CJ Gunn to be so impactful in today's game off the bench…
WOODSON: His last few days of practice has been tremendous. I'm telling all these guys, you know, it's how you practice, man, that carries over into a real basketball game.
You don't bring it in practice you're not going to bring it in the game. I've always believed that. I thought the last two days our practice was tough because I wasn't really happy about the Nebraska play and how we played.
But he had two good days, man, and I thought he deserved to play. I thought he responded, which was kind of nice.
Q. On what it will take for CJ to put together consistent performances like tonight…
WOODSON: A lot of it is, the young guys, it's the mental part of it, knowing exactly what we're doing when we go into a game setting and putting the game plan together. It's mentally -- your mental approach has to be on par.
If I don't see that, then how can I have confidence in playing you? I thought these last two days he was right on par, man, in terms of what we wanted. Kaleb as well. He didn't play as much but I thought tonight I was going to play him. I came into the game with the attitude I was going to play them both. CJ stepped up and gave us some important minutes tonight.
Q. On the 49-27 rebounding gap…
WOODSON: A lot of it was because of how the ball was bouncing off the rim and the big fellow, Felix, he had a lot to do with it. He kept balls alive. I told Ware and Malik, they were awful tonight in rebounding the basketball. Their bigs basically kicked our butts in terms of going to the glass.
You're not going to beat a lot of teams in the BigTen with that kind of margin in terms of rebounding. We got away with it tonight, but have to be much better as we go to Rutgers.
Q. On road games and how to play the game without crowd interference…
WOODSON: Well, I can't ask the crowd to stay home, that's for damn sure. I wish I could.
I just think you got to have a mental toughness about yourself. Just like we played the last 15 minutes of that ballgame, that's what you got to take to the road.
Somehow I got to get our team understanding that. You got to do that for 40 minutes not just 15 minutes. It's on me some, but I got to get these guys to understand what it's trying to play on the road and win on the road.
XAVIER JOHNSON & CJ GUNN | INDIANA GUARDS
Q. On what you have seen from CJ in the way he has attacked getting better…
JOHNSON: I mean, that just comes from work he puts in. CJ is in the gym all the time and now you're just seeing the results. He's a guy that has high confidence in himself and fears nothing.
Q. On if slowing down your game is making you more comfortable and confident on the floor…
GUNN: I think it's just how much I watch the game and study the game. Coach made an emphasis that I need to be more in tune with what we're doing on both sides of the floor. Being upstairs with Walsh and Jordy, just going over film consistently, that obviously brings me more comfort in the game.
Q. On your motivation and mindset for this game after your performance against Nebraska…
JOHNSON: I was definitely motivated. I haven't been myself lately. I've been off for a month, so I was trying to find a rhythm in that game. I was doing a little bit too much on the offensive end.
Tonight I let the game to myself. I trusted my coaching staff, my teammates to make the right play.
Q. On what helped get Malik unlocked in the second half…
JOHNSON: I think I'll let coach take all that credit. He told me -- when we went back to the locker room we told him, you got to pick your game up. You're not playing as well. Malik responded. I just told him, I'll find you. I'll hit you in the pocket passes and go score the ball, and he did.
Q. On the emphasis of minimizing turnovers after 19 against Nebraska…
JOHNSON: That's a big emphasis. That's something that you rarely see from me, honestly. I'm an aggressive guard. I got to grow up, and I grew up tonight and got to keep growing up and not turn over the ball because my team needs me to make the right play every time.
Q. On how hard Xavier worked during his rehab and recovery that led to a game like tonight…
GUNN: He's been working hard every single day. He's hungry for this and we're counting on him. Even though he was out with his injury we were here to pick him up. He's our captain, our guard, so we all look to him for leadership, and he's done an absolutely amazing role doing that.
He is going to help us lead us through this BigTen and hopefully win the championship.
Q. On how mentally challenging the last month has looked for you…
JOHNSON: It's been challenging. A lot of people don't know I had a crack in my foot that kept me away from basketball. The month has been challenging. I tried to stay in it with my teammates, conditioning up. Just tried to be a positive impact on the team even though I'm not playing.
Q. On coach being hard on you after the last game…
JOHNSON: Shoot, that's every day. (Laughter.)
GUNN: Boy, every day.
Q. On if you felt out of rhythm in your first game back versus today…
JOHNSON: You know, I did feel like I was out of rhythm. Only had -- as coach said, I only had a couple practices, and those practices we didn't really play as much because the guys already game back from a game and I didn't play and they had to get being back -- get their bodies back right.
I can't make that excuse though. I'm a sixth-year guy. The team and Coach Woodson expects a lot out of me, and I'm going to give everything I got from the rest of the year on out.
CHRIS HOLTMANN | OHIO STATE HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
Hard fought game, give Indiana credit. They made a few more plays and a few more shots.
Q: On the amount of missed and made shots being the difference…
HOLTMANN: The initial thought is shooting being the key difference, but we will have to look at the tape. We certainly had some clean looks particularly off offensive rebounds and wide open looks that you want guys taking.
Q: On winning a Big Ten game on the road...
HOLTMANN: Nothing wrong. It's hard to win on the road. We clawed back from down ten and cut it down to two. I actually felt great about that, but some players need to step up.
Q: On the defense changes to guard Malik Renau…
HOLTMANN: We'll have to look at some things with him. We liked single coverage on him, particularly in the first half. When Felix (Okpara) wasn't on him, it was an issue for us. We'll have to look at making some adjustments.
Indiana vs. Ohio State
Jan. 6, 2023
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On Malik Reneau's development and impressive improvement…
WOODSON: This summer, you know, he put a lot of work in. Never really left campus. Got his weight down. The baby fat that he had last year has trimmed down.
So you just got to tip your hat to him. He put the work in this summer and it's paying off.
Q. On the improvement of the three-point defense in the second half…
WOODSON: Well, it wasn't like we were touching them. I thought our defense from the 15-minute mark on was pretty good, but the second-chance shots they got, they had good looks.
You know, we just were so awful rebounding the ball tonight. They had good looks spraying the ball back out. They was just bouncing funny and we couldn't come up with it.
For the most part when we were setting in our half court defense we were pretty good in terms of switching up and touching and making sure guys weren't just facing up, shooting threes in our face.
Q. On Xavier Johnson's performance after the Nebraska game…
WOODSON: You can blame me a little bit because, again, he hadn't had much floor time in practice. You know, I just didn't want to blow him out the first game.
He was a little irritated at me, and I get that, because only played him 14 minutes. His 14 minutes were awful. I don't care how you look at it, you get 14 minutes, you got to be positive, do some things to help us win the game.
He didn't do that. Today I told him at would shootaround I was going to play him, let him loose. I thought he was huge tonight. I gave him the game ball, him and CJ. I thought CJ was excellent coming off the bench for us.
Q. On coming off a game with 19 turnovers and only our against Ohio State…
WOODSON: It brings a smile to my face. That's all I can tell you. I mean, that was miserable sitting through that in Nebraska, just giving them the basketball.
We talked about it. We watched the game when we came back as a team. After I watched it a couple times, it was just awful. But we rebounded from it. Learned from it. Only had four turnovers today, which is kind of nice.
Q. On what allowed CJ Gunn to be so impactful in today's game off the bench…
WOODSON: His last few days of practice has been tremendous. I'm telling all these guys, you know, it's how you practice, man, that carries over into a real basketball game.
You don't bring it in practice you're not going to bring it in the game. I've always believed that. I thought the last two days our practice was tough because I wasn't really happy about the Nebraska play and how we played.
But he had two good days, man, and I thought he deserved to play. I thought he responded, which was kind of nice.
Q. On what it will take for CJ to put together consistent performances like tonight…
WOODSON: A lot of it is, the young guys, it's the mental part of it, knowing exactly what we're doing when we go into a game setting and putting the game plan together. It's mentally -- your mental approach has to be on par.
If I don't see that, then how can I have confidence in playing you? I thought these last two days he was right on par, man, in terms of what we wanted. Kaleb as well. He didn't play as much but I thought tonight I was going to play him. I came into the game with the attitude I was going to play them both. CJ stepped up and gave us some important minutes tonight.
Q. On the 49-27 rebounding gap…
WOODSON: A lot of it was because of how the ball was bouncing off the rim and the big fellow, Felix, he had a lot to do with it. He kept balls alive. I told Ware and Malik, they were awful tonight in rebounding the basketball. Their bigs basically kicked our butts in terms of going to the glass.
You're not going to beat a lot of teams in the BigTen with that kind of margin in terms of rebounding. We got away with it tonight, but have to be much better as we go to Rutgers.
Q. On road games and how to play the game without crowd interference…
WOODSON: Well, I can't ask the crowd to stay home, that's for damn sure. I wish I could.
I just think you got to have a mental toughness about yourself. Just like we played the last 15 minutes of that ballgame, that's what you got to take to the road.
Somehow I got to get our team understanding that. You got to do that for 40 minutes not just 15 minutes. It's on me some, but I got to get these guys to understand what it's trying to play on the road and win on the road.
XAVIER JOHNSON & CJ GUNN | INDIANA GUARDS
Q. On what you have seen from CJ in the way he has attacked getting better…
JOHNSON: I mean, that just comes from work he puts in. CJ is in the gym all the time and now you're just seeing the results. He's a guy that has high confidence in himself and fears nothing.
Q. On if slowing down your game is making you more comfortable and confident on the floor…
GUNN: I think it's just how much I watch the game and study the game. Coach made an emphasis that I need to be more in tune with what we're doing on both sides of the floor. Being upstairs with Walsh and Jordy, just going over film consistently, that obviously brings me more comfort in the game.
Q. On your motivation and mindset for this game after your performance against Nebraska…
JOHNSON: I was definitely motivated. I haven't been myself lately. I've been off for a month, so I was trying to find a rhythm in that game. I was doing a little bit too much on the offensive end.
Tonight I let the game to myself. I trusted my coaching staff, my teammates to make the right play.
Q. On what helped get Malik unlocked in the second half…
JOHNSON: I think I'll let coach take all that credit. He told me -- when we went back to the locker room we told him, you got to pick your game up. You're not playing as well. Malik responded. I just told him, I'll find you. I'll hit you in the pocket passes and go score the ball, and he did.
Q. On the emphasis of minimizing turnovers after 19 against Nebraska…
JOHNSON: That's a big emphasis. That's something that you rarely see from me, honestly. I'm an aggressive guard. I got to grow up, and I grew up tonight and got to keep growing up and not turn over the ball because my team needs me to make the right play every time.
Q. On how hard Xavier worked during his rehab and recovery that led to a game like tonight…
GUNN: He's been working hard every single day. He's hungry for this and we're counting on him. Even though he was out with his injury we were here to pick him up. He's our captain, our guard, so we all look to him for leadership, and he's done an absolutely amazing role doing that.
He is going to help us lead us through this BigTen and hopefully win the championship.
Q. On how mentally challenging the last month has looked for you…
JOHNSON: It's been challenging. A lot of people don't know I had a crack in my foot that kept me away from basketball. The month has been challenging. I tried to stay in it with my teammates, conditioning up. Just tried to be a positive impact on the team even though I'm not playing.
Q. On coach being hard on you after the last game…
JOHNSON: Shoot, that's every day. (Laughter.)
GUNN: Boy, every day.
Q. On if you felt out of rhythm in your first game back versus today…
JOHNSON: You know, I did feel like I was out of rhythm. Only had -- as coach said, I only had a couple practices, and those practices we didn't really play as much because the guys already game back from a game and I didn't play and they had to get being back -- get their bodies back right.
I can't make that excuse though. I'm a sixth-year guy. The team and Coach Woodson expects a lot out of me, and I'm going to give everything I got from the rest of the year on out.
CHRIS HOLTMANN | OHIO STATE HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
Hard fought game, give Indiana credit. They made a few more plays and a few more shots.
Q: On the amount of missed and made shots being the difference…
HOLTMANN: The initial thought is shooting being the key difference, but we will have to look at the tape. We certainly had some clean looks particularly off offensive rebounds and wide open looks that you want guys taking.
Q: On winning a Big Ten game on the road...
HOLTMANN: Nothing wrong. It's hard to win on the road. We clawed back from down ten and cut it down to two. I actually felt great about that, but some players need to step up.
Q: On the defense changes to guard Malik Renau…
HOLTMANN: We'll have to look at some things with him. We liked single coverage on him, particularly in the first half. When Felix (Okpara) wasn't on him, it was an issue for us. We'll have to look at making some adjustments.
Players Mentioned
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