Mike Woodson Radio Show: Recapping Win Over Indianapolis, Previewing Marian Exhibition

On Monday's episode of the "Inside Indiana Basketball" radio show, Indiana coach Mike Woodson and play-by-play radio announcer Don Fischer recapped the Hoosiers' win over Indianapolis and previewed Friday's exhibition game against Marian.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana coach Mike Woodson appeared on his weekly radio show "Inside Indiana Basketball" with play-by-play radio announcer Don Fischer for the first time this season Monday night at the Chop Shop Market and Table.

Woodson and Fischer recapped the Hoosiers' 74-52 exhibition win over the University of Indianapolis on Sunday, previewed Friday's exhibition game against Marian and discussed much more. 

Here are the highlights. 

On Indiana's win over Indianapolis...

• “I wasn’t excited the first half, but no, I was very excited going into the game just to see where we were as a ball club.” Indiana is in the process of replacing four starters and added six new scholarship players to this year's team.
• Woodson thought UIndy came ready to play, and he expected that from a team that won 26 game last year and returned plenty of experience 
• “We just didn’t show up the first half.” Woodson said that may have been a product of nerves, leading to missed layups, free throws, a few mistakes with defensive assignments.
• In the second half, Indiana outscored UIndy by 24 points and “played Indiana basketball.” In the second half, he was especially proud of the second unit.
• “There’s a lot of things that were promising.” But he's looking for improvements like rotations on backside of defense and closeouts on 3-point shooters because Indiana was “too casual in that area.”
• “Even though we were down two [at halftime], hell, they only scored 27 points.”
• Woodson was happy about Indiana's 28 fast-break points, which were “probably the most since I've been here.” He also pointed out Indiana's 21 assists as a positive.
• Woodson said he's looking into scheduling a high-profile exhibition game against a team like Duke for future seasons.

On offseason acquisitions...

• Woodson knows the Big Ten can be a grueling schedule, and they have to have enough bodies to withstand that. He said he really tried to recruit more players to come off the bench this season, which could potentially lead to a deeper team.
• He knew Indiana would start Malik Reneau, Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway this year, then had to think about the surrounding pieces. 
• “We were lucky to get [Mackenzie] Mgbako and the big fella from Oregon [Kel'el Ware]. They were significant.” 
• Freshman guard Jakai Newton hasn't been able to play yet, as he remains out with a knee injury.
• “Anthony Walker was a nice pickup, and big Payton [Sparks] was a nice pickup.”
• Woodson said Indiana's white team – the second unit – has really pushed first unit, the red team, in practice. 
• “Gabe Cupps, he was so anxious, he probably wanted to play the night before. That’s just his approach.” Woodson said he wasn't surprised that Cupps came ready to play Sunday.
• Woodson said Miami transfer Anthony Walker “had a well-rounded game.” He said Walker joined the team later than most of the newcomers because he had to finish school at Miami. Walker missed most of the summer workouts, but Woodson said he's made up ground quickly since then. 

On differences with the team after losing four starters...

• “Trayce [Jackson-Davis] and Race [Thompson], they’re not walking through this door.” Because of that, Woodson said he needs leadership from Johnson and Galloway, who he wants to “kind of be an extension of me, and that’s a work in progress right now.”
• Woodson pointed out that he played a guard-heavy lineup with Johnson, Cupps, Galloway together for a few minutes against UIndy, and he'll continue to explore using that lineup against Marian. Woodson said when he coached in the NBA, he played two point guards together and “it was very positive.”
• Woodson said Indiana scored 50 points in the paint Sunday, and inside scoring will still be an emphasis, even without Jackson-Davis and Thompson.
• “I’m not sitting here saying we’re going to be the greatest 3-point shooting team ... The game ain’t just living on 3-pointers.”
• Woodson said a difference between Jackson-Davis and Ware is that Ware adds a pick-and-pop element to the offense, unlike Jackson-Davis. “He didn’t want to do it, I thought he could do it." Woodson said he's not just going to have Ware shooting threes, as he has the ability to score inside at 7-feet tall.

On improvements to make against Marian...

• Woodson said he's looking for the first unit to get off to a better start.
• Indiana didn't practice Monday, but Woodson said they'll clean up things from the UIndy game on Tuesday morning, then start preparing for Marian with three practices of three hours each.
• In terms of things he wants to clean up, Woodson mentioned the backside of the defense, which is where they had some miscues against UIndy. He also wants to see Indiana execute its half-court sets more often.
• Woodson liked that Indiana scored 28 fast-break points, but he's pushing the forwards and centers to run more in transition.
• Woodson said Indiana has shot about 77-78% on free throws in practice, but “boy it was just awful last night.” Indiana went 11-for-20 from the free throw line, and they'll continue to work on that.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• GAME STORY: It took a minute for Indiana to find itself offensively, but the Hoosiers dominated the second half to claim a 74-52 win over Indianapolis in Sunday's exhibition game. Newcomers Mackenzie Mgbako and Kel'el Ware led the Hoosiers with 14 points apiece. CLICK HERE
• PHOTO GALLERY: Take a look at the best pictures from Indiana's 74-52 exhibition win over Indianapolis on Sunday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE
• WHAT GUNN, WALKER SAID: Here's everything Indiana senior forward Anthony Walker and sophomore guard CJ Gunn said following the Hoosiers' 74-52 win over Indianapolis, plus full press conference video. CLICK HERE
• WHAT MIKE WOODSON SAID: Here's everything Indiana coach Mike Woodson said following the Hoosiers' exhibition victory over the University of Indianapolis, plus full press conference video. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA-UINDY HIGHLIGHTS: Since Indiana's exhibition game against the University of Indianapolis was not on regular TV on Sunday, and was only available on the Big Ten-Plus streaming service, we at least wanted you to get the highlights. Here is the video of some of the best plays from the Hoosiers' 74-52 win. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA 2023-24 SCHEDULE: The 2023-24 Indiana men's basketball season is underway. Here is the complete schedule for the season, with dates, game times, TV information and more. It's a good file to bookmark. CLICK HERE