Mike Woodson Radio Show: Recapping Indiana's Loss at Illinois, Previewing Iowa Game

On Monday's edition of 'Inside Indiana Basketball,' coach Mike Woodson and play-by-play broadcaster Don Fischer discussed the Hoosiers' recent loss to Illinois and looked ahead to Tuesday's game against Iowa.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mike Woodson made his weekly appearance on the 'Inside Indiana Basketball' radio show with Don Fischer Monday nigh at the Chop Shop Market and Table in Bloomington.

Woodson and Fischer recapped Indiana's 70-62 loss at No. 10 Illinois on Saturday, looked ahead to Tuesday's home game against Iowa and discussed several individual players. 

Here are the highlights. 

On Indiana's loss to Illinois...

• “I thought we rebounded extremely well after the Wisconsin game. Defensively we were were in tune. Our switching was on par."
• Woodson said the eight-day break helped Indiana improve defensively. “That’s kind of been our signature since i’ve been here where we’ve been able to defend and rebound with teams."
• “We just couldn’t make shots… I thought we had some good looks." Indiana shot 46.3% from the field, but 0-for-9 on 3-point attempts and 12-for-22 at the free throw line.
• Woodson said Indiana missed some wide open 3-pointers, and it hurt that Malik Reneau and Xavier Johnson accounted for nine of Indiana's 10 missed free throws.
• Woodson said shooting is 10% mechanics and the rest is mental, and that he's trying to help the team become mentally tougher. “I can’t explain it .. [In practice] we shoot tons of free throws and we shoot tons of threes."
• Woodson said the eight-day break helped Indiana a lot, but, "We still weren’t able to get the big fella [Kel'el Ware] back because he’s a big piece to the puzzle.“
• Indiana leading scorer Malik Reneau fouled out with 3:01 left, and after that, Woodson said, "We didn’t have an inside game really to go to.”
• Woodson was intrigued by the way freshman Mackenzie Mgbako played against Illinois, scoring 12 points with 12 rebounds. He said playing Mgbako inside more often “could possibly be a weapon” moving forward.
• Woodson is proud of Mgbako's growth and development this year, and he can't help but think that will continue because he still has a lot of room for growth. Reflecting on his freshman season, Woodson said Mgbako has "come a long way," and that at the start of the year "it was like pulling teeth."
• Woodson made a brief comment on Xavier Johnson's technical foul, "I didn't like the play right before the half. That was ridiculous."

On various individual players...

• Woodson said he's continuing to push Xavier Johnson to get back to the way he played before last year's injury. "Trying to get him back going has been a challenge for our ball club." Johnson scored 14 points with four rebounds, two assists and two turnovers against Illinois.
• Woodson said Johnson can help Indiana win because he's seen it before, but he has to make free throws. “He really hasn’t played much basketball in the last year and a half ... He’s trying to find himself, and I’m trying to help him."
• Woodson said Indiana has had some "slippage" defensively this season with all the new players. He said Malik Reneau still has a ways to go defensively, and "Mack is definitely behind ... Ware has had his ups and downs, but has been solid in terms of plugging the hole."
• Woodson on Anthony Leal: “I thought he played okay [against Illinois] ... A lot of it is because he’s a senior and he’s done a lot of good things in practice.” Woodson said Leal played a solid ballgame besides his turnover and made some good defensive plays.
• Woodson gave an update on Kel'el Ware's ankle injury. "We’ll know more (Tuesday). He’s basically being evaluated. He did some things on the floor today." Woodson said they have to “make sure he’s still not puffy and sore.”
• Woodson on Malik Reneau: "We can’t hide him. The Big Ten teams, they know about Malik so he’s being keyed on ... When you’re playing like he’s played, I would double him as well.” 
• Woodson said Reneau has grown in his ability to pass out of double teams, but he needs to rebound more and make free throws at a higher rate. After getting in foul trouble often last season, Woodson said, "They’re letting him bang a little bit more."
• “We’re pretty healthy besides the big fella [Kel'el Ware.” Woodson said Indiana hasn't had a lot of games “to actually see what we have” due to various injuries. Ware, Johnson, Leal Payton Sparks and Jakai Newton have all missed games due to injury.

On Tuesday's game against Iowa...

• Woodson called Iowa a “very good basketball team ... They post the ball, they push the ball, they press, they play half court zone, so they do a lot of different things and things we’ve seen in the past ... They’ll force you to play for 40 minutes.”
• Woodson said the focal point for Indiana in this game is getting back in transition. Iowa is 11th in the nation in adjusted tempo.
• Woodson called Iowa point guard Tony Perkins "the head of the snake." Perkins is averaging 15.2 points and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 33.3% from 3-point range. 
• “The kid [Owen] Freeman is playing extremely well as a freshman,” Woodson said. Freeman enters Tuesday's game averaging 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 64.3% from the field. He has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times, more than any player this season.
• “We’re going to have to guard the line," Woodson said. Iowa enters the game shooting 34.8% on 3-point attempts, which ranks 137th in the country. Iowa attempts 20 3-pointers per game, which ranks 274th.
• “I think our transition defense is going to be the key,” Woodson said. He thinks it'll also be important to not gift Iowa easy buckets in half court and rebound. "They’ve got to guys up front that bang."
• "We’ve got a great opportunity to get back on track,” Woodson said.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• HOW TO WATCH: Indiana continues the 2023-24 season on Tuesday against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. Here's how to watch, game time and TV information, the point spread and over/under, the coaching matchup, series history, predicted score, stats, rankings and more. CLICK HERE
• MEET THE OPPONENT, IOWA: Despite the loss of leading scorer Kris Murray, Iowa continues to have one of the most efficient offenses in the country, thanks to growth from Payton Sandfort and Tony Perkins, plus the addition of transfer Ben Krikke and freshman Owen Freeman. Here's a breakdown of Indiana's Tuesday opponent, the Iowa Hawkeyes. CLICK HERE
• GAME STORY: Indiana gave a valiant effort on Saturday against No. 10 Illinois, but 10 missed free throws — including two in the final minute — and going 0-for-9 from deep cost the Hoosiers once again in a 70-62 loss. It was the first time in 14 years that they didn't make a single three in a game. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA NATIVE LUKE GOODE HELPS ILLINOIS BEAT IU: Indiana didn’t hit a 3-pointer in Saturday’s 70-62 loss at Illinois, but Illinois guard Luke Goode, an Indiana native, hit three. He played a key role in a win that meant a little bit more. CLICK HERE
• WHAT WOODSON SAID: Indiana coach Mike Woodson met with the media following Saturday's 70-62 loss to Illinois. He praised young stars Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako, but bemoaned missing 10 free throws and going 0-for-9 from three-points as the reason for the defeat. CLICK HERE