What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana Defeated USC 82-69 On Wednesday

Indiana coach Mike Woodson spoke to the media after the Hoosiers won their fifth straight game on Wednesday against USC.

Indiana Head Coach Mike Woodson watches during the Indiana versus University of Southern California men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana men's basketball coach Mike Woodson spoke to the media after Indiana's 82-69 victory over Southern California on Wednesday.

Indiana has won five games in a row and is 4-1 in the Big Ten after the win over the Trojans.

Here's everything Woodson had to say after the game.

What made the offense better in the second half that put the game out of USC's reach ...

Woodson: Defensive stops, rebounding the basketball, and getting out, getting quick strikes. Thought we came out, started the game very slow, sluggish, and they played great early.

That's why they built a ten-point lead and we were able to sub some and get back into the game.

On being able to pinpoint where the lack of energy comes from on some of Indiana's slow starts at home ...

Woodson: I'm not going to dwell on it. The bottom line is we won today. You know, I mean, our team has shown that they don't quit. You got to give Southern Cal, their team, credit because they came ready to play.

I thought they were the most physical team starting the game. Once we got going and met their physicality, then we got back into the game and started playing Indiana basketball, which was nice to see.

On having one big man and what influences it has on the guards and the spacing ...

Woodson: Well, it gives us better space, but make no mistake about it, Malik (Reneau) is a big part of what we do, so he's not going anywhere.

On what Indiana needs to do to fare well in the 11 Quad 1 games coming up on the schedule ...

Woodson: Iowa is the next team up. I'm not looking at the 11 games. I'm looking at Iowa. They're next on our list, you know, in terms of who we got to play.

They're well-coached. They won a big game the other night coming from behind. We are going to have to go down there and play for 40 minutes to beat Iowa. That's how good they are at home.

On what has led to Oumar Ballo's recent success ...

Woodson: He's playing better. He's gotten being better. We're featuring him. He's a big piece to the puzzle. That's why we brought him here to play center for us.

No, he's played well. You know, he's going to have to continue to play well the rest of the way through the Big10. Teams are going to force him to play.

On what Indiana's basketball identity is right now ...

Woodson: Well, when we're scrappy and defending and rebounding the ball as a unit and able to get out and play a little faster instead of staying in the half court game, that's Indiana basketball.

We've had some glimpses of it off and on. I thought the last three, four games we were playing much better now, shooting the ball better from the three-point line. Didn't shoot it well tonight but had good looks.

We got to continue to take those shots when we have them.

On the timeout after the 12-minute mark of the first half and getting Myles Rice and Trey Galloway cutting to the basket ...

Woodson: No, we ran a few plays that kind of opened it up a little bit that we had just put in today, and they executed it well.

I mean, Gallo got a layup; Ballo got a dunk off of it. So I mean, execution out of a timeout is critical. You know, I mean, I didn't like the last timeout I called and Gallo threw the ball away on the inbound pass.

You know, I mean, we got to be sharper in that regard.

On how the Hoosiers have grown over the course of five straight wins ...

Woodson: Well, again, guys, we have seven new players on our ball club. We're still trying to figure it out just like every Big10 team, every college basketball team in the country.

When you make drastic changes to your ball club roster, that takes time.

You know, we are starting to grow and learn one another and guys are feeling comfortable about who can do what and who can't do what. Makes a big difference. Still got a long way to go and still growing.

On multiple players stepping up on a night in which Mackenzie Mgbako went 0-for-8 from the field ...

Woodson: No, it is. I mean, that's kind of the makeup of our ball club. Every Big Ten team is talented and deep, well-coached. When someone is struggling, Mack was struggling tonight. You know, I can't - I got to search too as a coach. That's what we do.

No knock against Mack. He'll be back in there tomorrow. He'll be ready to go hopefully for the Iowa game. I got to lean on everybody. You know, it's what you do with the minutes you get. I thought the guys that came in off the bench gave us some positive minutes tonight; that set us up to win a ballgame.

On how Oumar Ballo used his body to create scoring chances ...

Woodson: No, I mean, Ballo is a pretty big guy. You know, their center that started tonight wasn't as big as Ballo, but I thought they played Ballo early. He couldn't really touch the ball that much. They were top siding him, and we did a poor job trying get to to him early.

As the game wore on, everything kind of loosened up and where were able to utilize him a little bit more. He delivered for us.

Related stories on Indiana basketball

• INDIANA WINS FIFTH STRAIGHT: Indiana bested Southern California 82-69 on Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. It is the Hoosiers' fifth-straight triumph. CLICK HERE.

• LIVE BLOG: Follow along with the game as it happens in the Hoosiers On SI live blog for the Indiana-USC game. CLICK HERE.

• RENEAU INJURY UPDATE: The Hoosiers will be without Malik Reneau for a second straight full game as they host USC Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. CLICK HERE

• KEY TO BALLO'S SUCCESS: The absence of Malik Reneau has fueled several theories that it's made Oumar Ballo better for Indiana. Many of Ballo’s successful plays feature him in motion, not in stationary positions on the floor. CLICK HERE