BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's Mike Woodson and Xavier Johnson met the media after Indiana's 74-62 victory over Army on Sunday night.
Above are their full Q&As.
Mike Woodson Transcript
Q. It's the second game in a row we've seen you go to that smaller line-up kind of in crunch time. What about it works, and maybe what about it do you need to expand, whether it's more personnel you can fit in there or more that that line-up can do as the season goes forward?
MIKE WOODSON: I'm going to play guys that want to play and play the right way. The last two games that small line-up coming down the stretch was pretty good for us.
I don't know if we'll live with it the rest of the season, but if they keep making plays down the stretch, I think it will be okay for us.
Q. Obviously it's just the second game of the season, but what do you want the offense to look like? There were times it obviously looked listless at times. What's it supposed to look like?
MIKE WOODSON: Well, more ball movement, more pick and rolls. I mean, we played well I think enough to where we got enough in the paint. We got 36 points in the paint. That's pretty good for us.
We haven't shot the three ball very well, and we're not getting very many fast break points, which we had in our first couple of exhibition games. We were out running, and that's where we've got to get to, but when you are taking the ball out of the net and happen to walk it down and not getting stops because I thought there were times we just didn't switch correctly, didn't switch up, and they were shooting three-point shots right in our face, and they made them.
It's a part of the game, but I thought for the most part we played pretty good basketball. Defensively we scored 64 points. That's kind of in the neighborhood of where we want to be per game, but we've got to get better.
Q. In terms of Mackenzie, he only played a couple of minutes in the second half. What do you want to see more from him to get him those minutes down the stretch? I know you were talking about that earlier.
MIKE WOODSON: I want to see more from Mackenzie, more from Kaleb, more from CJ. I want to see more when they're in the game. If I don't feel like they're giving it to me, I've got to go somewhere else and get it.
Q. You shot a good percentage tonight, but only 43 field goals overall -- or field goal attempts overall. It seemed like the ball was sticking a little bit. What do you do to try to get the ball moving?
MIKE WOODSON: We have to move it. We have to trust each other. We catch the ball, and the first thing we think about is putting the ball down on the floor, making a play for myself.
This is a team game, a team sport. So we have to trust each other, and that's my job so get them to trust.
Q. Following up on Mackenzie, I guess what is he not doing to get those minutes, and what does he need to improve on to kind of contribute more to this team?
MIKE WOODSON: Well, he has to play harder and do the things that we want done on both ends of the floor. That might keep him in the game.
Q. When you're going with your bigger line-ups, do you feel like that is a group that can learn how to defend the perimeter over the course of the season, and what with them would you say is a challenge right now?
MIKE WOODSON: I think Malik has done an adequate job in defending on the perimeter. I just don't like putting Malik and Ware in pick and roll situations where the guy knocks the ball handler off, and now they're stuck with having to guard the ball, and it's not fair to them. So a lot of that is on the guy that's on the ball.
I mean, we have to get better in pick and roll coverage and getting over the ball screen and guarding -- taking on guarding your own guy. I thought last season we were good in that neighborhood, but right now we still have a ways to go.
Q. It seems like with Kel'el he really likes to get going in the second half, but is there something that you can do offensively to maybe get him in the rhythm more or earlier in the game?
MIKE WOODSON: It's just not Kel'el in the first half. That whole unit has stunk the last two games in the first half.
When you put a starting five out on the floor, you expect them to get you off to a great start, and we haven't done that the last two games. I have to figure that out.
Q. Just how do you emphasize getting out and running more? I know after one of the exhibitions you said that's how you feel like the game should be played, so how do you make sure when you guys are out there, you're playing that way?
MIKE WOODSON: The game is like this: If you get stops and you rebound the ball, you have an opportunity to get out and fast break and make plays. If you get in passing lanes and you get easy steals where you can generate offense that way, it's a quick way to get out and play faster.
Right now we're not doing none of those things. We're not getting stops. We're not getting the ball out and getting up the floor and playing faster.
So those are things that we can build on. We can continue to work at, but we can't just live in the half court game this season. I mean, I want to play faster, and I got to get us to doing that because we're not doing it yet.
Xavier Johnson Transcript
Q. Coach Woodson mentioned you all stunk in the first half. I am curious what you feel like might be causing that.
XAVIER JOHNSON: I'm going to be honest. In practice we have our young guys, including myself. I'm not young, but including me, Galloway, and just the whole team. We're not going as hard. I think our preparation led to that, and that's what I believe.
Q. Coach Woodson said some of the young guys need to play a little bit harder in order to see minutes in the second half. How have you tried to kind of get through to them or help them through that as a veteran, like you mentioned, to get them where they need to be showing that intensity and showing that fire?
XAVIER JOHNSON: I try to tell them to do the right things. You do the right things, play hard, and Coach will reward you.
I think a lot of guys go away from not playing as hard and just not want to play at all, but you have to play hard to play for Coach Woodson.
Q. Xavier, when you were in the half court, possessions went deep into the shot clock. It seemed like the ball was getting stuck a little bit, and when Army did miss shots, it was difficult to get in transition. How do you get that unstuck?
XAVIER JOHNSON: We just have to open up and play. Guys get standing with the ball, you know, we just stand and watch and wait until somebody makes a play, and that's what we have to get away from.
Q. X, Coach Woodson said as a team the guards weren't getting through ball screens as well as you guys did last year, and that's contributing to some of the challenges guarding the perimeter right now. Just curious as to your assessment of what you are seeing in that regard?
XAVIER JOHNSON: When I watched film on the last game, we're not getting over a lot of ball screens, you're right. I think it takes a lot of heart, and that's what Coach said to some of the young guys, you know, wanting to play, to get on the floor. I think we ran too many rotations, what-if rotations, and we have to stay out of those.
Q. Coach said the ball movement wasn't where he wanted it to be. How as a point guard can you help change that and initiate the movement?
XAVIER JOHNSON: Getting guys in the right spots and giving them the confidence to play. Coach instills confidence in them just to play, but it's kind of hard playing in front of thousands of fans and just executing.
Q. You're the leader of this offense, but it seems like when you are out on the floor, especially tonight, you had a few frustrating turnovers. What is it, do you think, that is contributing to that being the norm so far?
XAVIER JOHNSON: I think that goes back to the preparation. Guys in practice, you know, we just go soft up for layups. And when we turn over the ball, we think it's on the GAs that's reffing our little games when we play each other. I think with need to get stronger with the ball, and turnovers is the issue right now for this one game honestly.
Q. Obviously it's only two games into the season, but what's the offense supposed to look like? Obviously it looks disjoint, listless, whatever, right now. What's it supposed to look like?
XAVIER JOHNSON: Everybody touch the ball, move the ball. We have a whole bunch of talent. I know it's hard to see right now, but we actually do have a lot of good talent. We need to share the ball, move the ball, get the ball up the floor and run because that's what the offense is supposed to do. We're supposed to get out and get stops, and I think that's the main problem is we're not getting enough stops to get out and run.
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