Bob Knight Taught Mike Woodson That 'Defense Wins Games' Just Like in Indiana's Win Over Illinois

The Hoosiers advance to the semifinals after knocking off No. 1-seed Illinois in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Here's what Indiana head coach Mike Woodson had to say in a post game press conference. Read his transcript, or just watch the attached video.

Haley Jordan | Mar 11, 2022

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Hoosiers head coach Mike Woodson addressed the media following Indiana's 65-63 win over No. 1-seed Illinois in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.

Read his full transcript, or just watch the attached video of the entire press conference.

COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, again, today was another great effort on our ball club. For 40 minutes, I mean, we competed. And Illinois and their coach, great staff, they competed. Nobody really wanted to give, but I thought we made some damn good plays down the stretch to secure the win.

With that being said, I'm very pleased with our performance tonight, but we've got to get ready for our next opponent. That's what it's all about.

Q: On most likely making the NCAA tournament...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: Okay. Well, that's a great, great feeling, I think it's great for our program really. And these players, it's been about these guys ever since we started the journey. For me it's been fun because it's kind of been a rollercoaster ride watching these guys develop over this season so far, but the thing that I like about our team, man, we are competitive.

Even though we've lost a lot of close games, we are very, very competitive. From a coaching standpoint that's all you can ask for, but I think it's great for our program, it's fantastic that we're back in the big dance.

Q. On believing after a rough stretch of regular season...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: No, not at all. I mean, you look at seven of the nine games we lost, we either held leads, we just couldn't close, and, you know, I kept saying early on that we're still trying to figure each other out.

And you say, well, hell, we're at the end of the season now, you should already have figured it out. Well, I take responsibility for a lot of the games that we've lost. I mean, I just couldn't get them over the hump, and now they're really starting to believe. You know what I mean?

You lose enough of them, hell, you start to get breaks your way. And I thought today we got a great break in the turnover that they had down the stretch and we were able to still secure the win.

Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: I know that affected him. I went back and watched some old films of him going against Big Fella, Kofi, and he didn't fare well and he got in foul trouble at our place early and he was just never a factor.

I think yesterday's play, you know, after the halftime meeting that we had, he bounced back and showed his teammates and the coaching staff and this program that he's a damn good player in the Big Ten and he's been that way for some years.

So today, I mean, I challenged him again. I was like, man, you've got to go out and play this guy and make him respect you, and I thought he did a hell of a job in that regard.

Q. On Jordan Geronimo's injury...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: Well, I really don't know yet, he's being evaluated. I mean, it's his knee, so I don't know how bad it is. I think we're going to have to get an MRI done on it, but we've just got to wait and get that information when it comes.

But our bench was great. I've always coached and I've always said that your bench has got to be as important as the guys who start the game, doesn't matter who starts, it's who finishes the game and we finished the game pretty much tonight with two guys coming off the bench.

Q. On if it's a joy or relief to win...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: It's not a relief. I mean, it's a journey that we started way back in the Bahamas. I've had an opportunity, like you said, to build young teams like in Atlanta and I know what the grind is like. It's just getting guys to believe in what you do on and off the court, both ends of the floor. Our guys have bought into my stuff, I guess you can say, and my stuff ain't always the greatest, but it's working for us now. That's what's more important for me and makes me feel good, too.

It's more about our university and the program, guys. I mean, we've been kind of on a rollercoaster ride with Indiana University basketball and it's nice to see guys now playing at a much higher level and now get an opportunity to play in the big dance.

Q. On Trey Galloway...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: Again, I thought he was great again. You know, I'm sure he's probably a little sore because he hadn't been able to practice and he's basically just bringing it in the ballgame. We've just got to keep nursing him and get him ready for tomorrow. Hell, he's what, 19, 20 years old? Man, he'll be all right. That's kind of how I look at it.

Q. On Indiana's defense...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: Our defense has been pretty damn good this year, guys, and we knew coming into this game we had to guard the three-point line. That's where they got us in Bloomington and I thought we did a really good job.

Hawkins was the only one that got away on us and he really didn't play much in Bloomington so you've got to tip your hat to him because he stepped up and made big plays for his ball club as well. But our defense, it was solid all the way through. Neither team — and their defense was great, neither team wanted to give. It was just a grind to win this game.

Q. On Jackson-Davis's jump shot...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: I said, "Hallelujah!"

No, listen, I tell Trayce to try to get two or three jump shots. He just, he won't shoot them, and then today he stepped out there and he shot. I mean, he doesn't have a bad looking shot and he shoots them in practice, but he made one that really counted. That was a big shot that he made.

Q. On the defensive effort...

COACH MIKE WOODSON: Listen, I played for a great coach in Bob Knight and the one thing he taught me was defense wins games. The offense is not going to be there every night, but if you can put a good defensive system in place, you put yourself in a great position to win every game, you going to be in every ballgame, and that's how we've been all season.

It's not just been Knight. Larry Brown, the great Larry Brown that I worked with, I look at the Detroit team that we championed back in 2004 in the NBA there and that team was as good a defensive team. That's basically how we want it, so I know defense will win games if guys are committed to defending, rebounding the ball and that's what we've been doing here as of late.

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