INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The nostalgia is certainly settling in for Indiana fans all over who have attended the Crossroads Classic for years.
The Hoosiers finished off the best way yet by defeating Notre Dame 64-56 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Here's what Coach Mike Woodson had to say about the final win in this iconic classic. Read along, or just watch the attached video for the entire presser.
Q. On the 3-point shooting
WOODSON: I was just happy to see some shots go in, period. You know, I thought we struggled really early in the game and just couldn't make shots, but our defense was just tight. Even when we were struggling, they were I think sitting at 19 when we were at 11, so they weren't going anywhere. They weren’t running off, but, boy, I was struggling to find offense tonight, but we made the plays down the stretch that we needed to make in terms of securing the game.
Q. On closing out the game
WOODSON: That's the first thing I said when I closed out our meeting with the team prior to coming in here today. You stepped up and did what you had to do coming down the stretch, and you are not going to blow every team out. There's going to be games that are going to be close.
Notre Dame is a good team. They are well-coached, so I didn't expect the blow-out -- the 8- to 10-point lead like we had, but we did, and our guys stepped up and made the plays that we needed to make to win the game.
Q. On the halftime adjustments
WOODSON: Again, going in I thought the momentum shifted our way the last, what, four, five minutes of the first half when we went on that run to get back in it. And then coming up three at half, you know, I was feeling pretty good at that moment, but knowing that 20 minutes is still a lot of time. And I just told them, hey, we just need to put a solid 20-minute half together and come out of here with a win.
Q. On the state of the team
WOODSON: I'm going to be honest with you. Listen, I'm just happy where we are. We try to take it a game at a time. We've had two Big Ten games, and I thought we played extremely well in both. Came up short in the one. Our next opponent is Northern Kentucky, so we just got to get ready for those guys.
Hey, the Big Ten is what it is, man. We can't run from it, and when time comes to play a Big Ten game, I'm just going to prepare like I normally prepare for any game and just take it one game at a time.
Q. On Parker Stewart’s shooting
WOODSON: He has been very important for us. Again, early on when we first started this journey, I didn't know where the three-point shooting was going to come, and Parker and Miller both have stepped up and made some threes for us.
But I need X to make them. Rob is capable of making them. Khristian, if and when I play him. I mean, I feel good that he can make them. We got guys that can make them.
But I don't want to be a team to just live on three-point shots. If you got it, you know, hey, take it. I mean, if it's there. But I think our strength is playing inside-out with our big guys, and that's been good for us. I don't want to stray away from that.
Q. On Rob Phinisee's impact
WOODSON: He gave us a huge lift. I need Rob in the worst way. I think he knows how I feel about him in terms of what I think he can do. I just got to get Rob to believe more that he can do things like he did tonight.
I mean, he is a hell of a defender, and he can make shots. He can make plays for other people. That's what point guards do. I just got to get him more comfortable and get him more love and confidence that he can do those things.
Q. On the point guard play
WOODSON: We've improved, but we still got work in progress with our point guards, and it's okay. Hey, it's the toughest position on the floor, and I'm demanding. I'm going to keep pushing these guys to get better because I know if they do, we're going to be better as a ball club. We'll benefit from it.
They all still trying to learn what we're trying to do. They're searching, man, and I just got to -- I got to help them more somehow.
Q. On the defense
WOODSON: They hit a three. There were two threes that were made by their team early on that we didn't execute our defense, and one of the time-outs I was very critical because, again, we've gone -- we've had two days to prepare, and you can't walk out on the floor and just forget your coverages.
And it cost us an out of bounds three, and it cost us a three where Xavier didn't switch correctly, so those are things that you can clean up. You take those two threes away early, you know, we're sitting at a very close ball game. Neither team scoring the ball.
In that regard I was pretty happy where we were defensively, and then I thought the second half our defense was even more steady in terms of how we wanted to cover our coverages.
Q. On playing Johnson and Phinisee together
WOODSON: Well, they were small -- besides the big, Wesley, they were small too. You can play two point guards in that regard. Both of them are pretty good defenders. They defend when they want to defend, and Rob is a hell of a defender. So, I mean, I was looking for defense and two guys to kind of run our team. That's what I was looking for, and I thought they did a pretty good job in both areas I thought.
Q. On the improved turnover numbers in the second half
WOODSON: I thought offensively we moved the ball in spurts, and when we did, good things happened for us. I got to get them to understand that. You know, it can't be one or two passes and then the shot goes up and lets us a layup.
In that regard I got to help them offensively, but defensively we didn't have a whole lot of miscues. You know, we gave up a couple layups at the end of the game that I don't like. I mean, you still got to play the clock, and the score as well. You know, where you give up quick twos, now they can set their defense and get ready to press.
You got to make them at least make two or three, four passes before giving up an easy bucket like we did. I mean, hell, they just drove around us and laid the ball up, so we got to clean that up, but for the most part I was pleased.
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- HOW TO WATCH INDIANA VS. NOTRE DAME: Indiana has had good success against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic, winning four of the five matchups. And now comes Mike Woodson as the coach of the Hoosiers, bringing his team to his hometown for the first time to take on the Irish one last time in this event. Here's how to watch, with gametimes, TV, the latest on the point spread and more. CLICK HERE.
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Here's What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana's Win Over Notre Dame at the Crossroads Classic - CalBearsMaven
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