Indiana 77, Winthrop 68
Q. Big picture, how much sense of urgency to get some big wins in January to get the resumé back to where you want it to be?
MIKE WOODSON: Every game is important moving forward. Can't look back. Every game is important. We've got Rutgers coming in. That's my only focus right now.
Q. With Malik, when he was in the game, he was effective but balloted foul trouble again. What do you tell him, you're shorthanded, does he have to pick his spots better as you saw him pick up those fouls, what was your message to him?
MIKE WOODSON: Kinds of flashbacks but thank God for Langdon. I thought he played his butt off. Gave him the game ball. Here is a guy who never complains. He works in practice. He came and gave us a big lift when we needed it. That's all about team. That goes a long way with me.
Q. What was the nature of Oumar's absence, and how much lead time did you have to prepare for it?
MIKE WOODSON: I'm not going to address that. But didn't have a lot of lead time. But that doesn't matter. You know, guys that are in uniform have got to play, and he didn't play tonight, and you know, we'll sit down tomorrow and address his situation and get ready for Rutgers.
Q. For as long as you've been around this game, do you think when a team starts missing shots, does it become contagious for other guys on the team?
MIKE WOODSON: I don't know. You know, shooting, it's a funny thing, man. They were all good looks. So I can't sit here and complain that they were bad shots.
They have just got to keep working, and eventually they will fall. That's how I think as a coach, the threes and the free throws. Because I thought the free throws beat us in the butt tonight.
But the positive behind tonight's game is that when they cut the lead to one, we didn't fold. We made the play that is we had to make. We went on a 7-0 run, and those are the things that I look at.
Q. Myles led with 18 points today. What's the key to get him going and have these performances a little bit more consistent through the season?
MIKE WOODSON: Well, we opened the floor up a little bit tonight. You know, I'm trying to get a mixture of posting the ball some and playing open court with the players that we do have.
That's why I think the 23s came in, and the looks that we had were really good. We've just got to mentally focus and make them. That would make life a lot better for me.
Q. Going forward, how concerned are you about the three-point shooting tonight versus games where you have shot well?
MIKE WOODSON: Well, again, you're always concerned about them. We're shooting them. And again, if they were bad threes, then I would really sit here and complain. But they were good threes, and I feel good about the guys that are shooting them.
So again, eventually, they are going to make them. That's how I think.
Q. A lot of misses from 3, but 14 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points. How happy are with you that performance on the offensive glass?
MIKE WOODSON: Again, we didn't do all the things right from a defensive standpoint. This team came in averaging 86 points, and they were one of the top teams in the country in getting to the free throw line. Hell, they have shot over 200-some more free throws than most opponents that they have played. And that's tough to overcome when you've got a team that forces you to foul. And we were in foul trouble. There's no doubt about it, they put our bigs in foul trouble.
But we were able to overcome it, and still rebound the ball. You know, big fella gave us a great lift in that regard and got some putbacks here and there. I thought it was a solid win but we have to now put this game behind us and start thinking about Rutgers.
Q. With Carlyle, I think he's 23 percent on the year from three. I know you're expecting him to be a big part of this team offensively. What have you seen maybe that's caused his struggles, and what can you do to get him going moving forward?
MIKE WOODSON: He's not the only one. I mean, at one point, you know, we were shooting 37 percent from the three-point line, shooting 78 from the free throw line. So life was pretty good.
So I know it's there. You know, we've just got to go back and find it, and it starts against Rutgers.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports