Wednesday, February 21
Bloomington, Ind.
8:30 PM
Indiana University
vs
Nebraska
For Woodson and IU, the Goal is Clear -- Win Out
2/21/2024 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Reality has Mike Woodson seeing no margin for error. Not now, with six games left in Indiana's regular season, with a 14-11 record, and losses in seven of the last 10 games.
"I think we've got to win them all," the third-year coach says. "Maybe I'm putting pressure on our guys, but that's the only way I can coach. We've got to try to win them all."
Victory demands consistency the Hoosiers (6-8 in the Big Ten) have lacked. Fixing that starts Wednesday night when they host Nebraska (18-8, 8-7) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Cornhuskers are 0-7 on the Big Ten road.
"We've got six games left," Woodson says. "This is a big game for our team in terms of staying in the hunt."
He says IU struggles come from playing well in spurts rather than sustained strong performance. It wasn't as much of a problem the last two years, when the Hoosiers were a veteran team led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, and Miller Kopp.
"If we jumped on a team," Woodson says, "we were able to sustain it. We played to the end and not in spurts like we have this season. As the year goes by and we continue to grow, if we keep everybody together, you won't have that.
"It's my job to put them in the best position possible and go to guys you think can deliver."
More and more, that includes freshman guard Gabe Cupps, who continues to show shut-down-defender flashes, highlighted by his Sunday effort against Northwestern's Boo Buie, perhaps the Big Ten's best guard.
Buie finished with 14 points, five below his season average. He was just 3-for-14 from the field against Cupps' relentless pressure.
"He's a great player and tough to defend," says Cupps, who added eight points with a pair of 3-pointers. "I've just got to do the best I can."
Woodson called it one of Cupps' best games as a Hoosier, with more coming.
"Gabe has been thrown to the wolves," he says about Cupps' baptism of fire.
Woodson originally recruited Cupps to be the third point guard this season behind Xavier Johnson and Jalen Hood-Schifino. But Hood-Schifino developed into a one-and-done player and became an NBA first-round pick for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite intense recruiting efforts, Woodson was unable to sign an experienced point guard last spring. Johnson has been hurt much of the season. That thrust Cupps into a starting role.
"We basically came into this season hoping like hell that X didn't get hurt, and Gabe would get an opportunity to learn slowly," Woodson says, "but that hasn't been the case. He's been thrown right out there.
"I think he's had a good freshman season. He hasn't shot the ball very well (39.4 percent overall), but the other night he made two threes and defensively he's been solid from Day One, especially in the Big Ten with every team's point guard being pretty good.
"He's pretty much held his own from a defensive standpoint. Boo Buie has been one of the hottest point guards in the league. To hold that young man to 3-for-14 shooting and to keep (Buie) in front, which has been a task for a lot of teams, I was really impressed with that."
Beating Nebraska starts with 3-point defense. The Cornhuskers lead the Big Ten by making 9.5 3-pointers per game. They have 13 games in which they've made at least 10 3-pointers, including 12 in last month's home win over IU. They have eight players who have made at least 10 3-pointers, led by guard Keisei Tominaga's 53.
By comparison, the Hoosiers are led by Mackenzie Mgbako's 34.
Tominaga averages 14.1 points for the season, but 19.5 in his last four games. In that stretch, he's shooting 53% overall and 46% from 3-point range.
Forward Rienk Mast averages 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. He leads the team with 74 assists. Guard Brice Williams averages 12.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. Forward Juwan Gary averages 11.4 points. Guard C.J. Wilcher averages 8.7 points with 43 3-pointers.
Nebraska is coming off two straight home victories over Michigan and Penn State.
The Cornhuskers have held their last five opponents to 69.4 points, eight fewer than they allowed in January.
Woodson says he remains focused on returning IU to its title-winning ways.
"I came back to try to put this team in the best position possible, and I'm going to continue to do that. I'm almost 66, but I feel good and still move around. I still think well in terms of the game, and I still think I can teach the game.
"There are coaches that are coaching into their 70s. I don't know if that's something I'll do, but at this point I'll take it a day at a time, a year at a time. I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I'm just not.
"I'm going to continue to build this team and put it in the best position possible and see where it leads us."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Reality has Mike Woodson seeing no margin for error. Not now, with six games left in Indiana's regular season, with a 14-11 record, and losses in seven of the last 10 games.
"I think we've got to win them all," the third-year coach says. "Maybe I'm putting pressure on our guys, but that's the only way I can coach. We've got to try to win them all."
Victory demands consistency the Hoosiers (6-8 in the Big Ten) have lacked. Fixing that starts Wednesday night when they host Nebraska (18-8, 8-7) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Cornhuskers are 0-7 on the Big Ten road.
"We've got six games left," Woodson says. "This is a big game for our team in terms of staying in the hunt."
He says IU struggles come from playing well in spurts rather than sustained strong performance. It wasn't as much of a problem the last two years, when the Hoosiers were a veteran team led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, Race Thompson, and Miller Kopp.
"If we jumped on a team," Woodson says, "we were able to sustain it. We played to the end and not in spurts like we have this season. As the year goes by and we continue to grow, if we keep everybody together, you won't have that.
"It's my job to put them in the best position possible and go to guys you think can deliver."
More and more, that includes freshman guard Gabe Cupps, who continues to show shut-down-defender flashes, highlighted by his Sunday effort against Northwestern's Boo Buie, perhaps the Big Ten's best guard.
Buie finished with 14 points, five below his season average. He was just 3-for-14 from the field against Cupps' relentless pressure.
"He's a great player and tough to defend," says Cupps, who added eight points with a pair of 3-pointers. "I've just got to do the best I can."
Woodson called it one of Cupps' best games as a Hoosier, with more coming.
"Gabe has been thrown to the wolves," he says about Cupps' baptism of fire.
Woodson originally recruited Cupps to be the third point guard this season behind Xavier Johnson and Jalen Hood-Schifino. But Hood-Schifino developed into a one-and-done player and became an NBA first-round pick for the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite intense recruiting efforts, Woodson was unable to sign an experienced point guard last spring. Johnson has been hurt much of the season. That thrust Cupps into a starting role.
"We basically came into this season hoping like hell that X didn't get hurt, and Gabe would get an opportunity to learn slowly," Woodson says, "but that hasn't been the case. He's been thrown right out there.
"I think he's had a good freshman season. He hasn't shot the ball very well (39.4 percent overall), but the other night he made two threes and defensively he's been solid from Day One, especially in the Big Ten with every team's point guard being pretty good.
"He's pretty much held his own from a defensive standpoint. Boo Buie has been one of the hottest point guards in the league. To hold that young man to 3-for-14 shooting and to keep (Buie) in front, which has been a task for a lot of teams, I was really impressed with that."
Beating Nebraska starts with 3-point defense. The Cornhuskers lead the Big Ten by making 9.5 3-pointers per game. They have 13 games in which they've made at least 10 3-pointers, including 12 in last month's home win over IU. They have eight players who have made at least 10 3-pointers, led by guard Keisei Tominaga's 53.
By comparison, the Hoosiers are led by Mackenzie Mgbako's 34.
Tominaga averages 14.1 points for the season, but 19.5 in his last four games. In that stretch, he's shooting 53% overall and 46% from 3-point range.
Forward Rienk Mast averages 13.5 points and 8.1 rebounds. He leads the team with 74 assists. Guard Brice Williams averages 12.6 points and 5.7 rebounds. Forward Juwan Gary averages 11.4 points. Guard C.J. Wilcher averages 8.7 points with 43 3-pointers.
Nebraska is coming off two straight home victories over Michigan and Penn State.
The Cornhuskers have held their last five opponents to 69.4 points, eight fewer than they allowed in January.
Woodson says he remains focused on returning IU to its title-winning ways.
"I came back to try to put this team in the best position possible, and I'm going to continue to do that. I'm almost 66, but I feel good and still move around. I still think well in terms of the game, and I still think I can teach the game.
"There are coaches that are coaching into their 70s. I don't know if that's something I'll do, but at this point I'll take it a day at a time, a year at a time. I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I'm just not.
"I'm going to continue to build this team and put it in the best position possible and see where it leads us."
Players Mentioned
Guard
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Guard
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Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
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