Watch below as IU basketball coach Mike Woodson met with the media on Saturday following an 83-74 loss at Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
Further below is a transcript of Woodson’s comments.
Indiana (14-13, 6-10) will host Wisconsin on Tuesday.
See also: Three keys, highlights, final stats
On sitting Mackenzie Mgbako with two fouls in the first half.
Woodson – I elected to go elsewhere with C.J. (Gunn), and I thought C.J. could come in and give us a lift. Eventually we’ve gotta look at our bench too, and see if they can give us something off the bench. (Kel’el) Ware had two fouls as well, it was still a long game, the game wasn’t out of hand at that particular time. We just didn’t make plays coming down the home stretch of the first half to keep us right there. But that wasn’t the difference in the game. I thought that we battled. I look at the stat sheet I look at the free throws and missed opportunities to make threes, I thought that was the difference.
On three-point shooting, what isn’t working, whether it’s the way you’re getting the shots, guys form, getting in the right mental space, what’s not getting them going behind the arc in your mind?
Woodson – We’re getting good looks. We’re getting a lot of good looks. I think from a mental standpoint I’ve got to get them where they’re comfortable and making them. We haven’t made them this season. We’ve had our ups and downs. We’ve had stretches where some nights we have made them, but for the most part we have not made them. Free throws is another big problem. We’ve struggled to make free throws. Something we’ve worked on every day, and we shoot threes every day, and guys just have to come in and feel good about themselves and make them.
What is your reaction to struggling against Nebraska, Northwestern and Penn State?
Woodson – I’m upset with the way we’ve played, the way I’ve coached this team this whole season. We’ve lost more games at home than we’ve lost the last two years, and that’s just not good. I’ve always felt I could take any team and go win with it, but we’ve had our struggles this year. We’ve gotta try to finish this season out on a high note. We’ve got Wisconsin coming in next and they’re playing pretty well. We’ve gotta see what we’re made of.
When you say you’re upset with the way you’ve coached, what are some things if you had a mulligan you’d change?
Woodson –All coaches when they coach think they can win. I’ve struggled with this team this year. I won’t blame my players. I’ve always put it on Mike Woodson, and that’s how it should be. We’ll continue to grow this thing and try to figure it out, but we’ve still got a lot of work on our hands when it comes to our basketball team.
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