What Mike Woodson Said After Indiana Basketball Beat Ohio State 66-60

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana pulled off an emotional comeback victory Saturday, defeating Ohio State 66-60. The Hoosiers trailed by 10 points with 12 minutes to play and by five points with five minutes to play, but a 12-0 run in the late stages gave them the win.

It was Senior Day at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for eight players and nine managers, and it was also coach Mike Woodson’s last home game. Indiana announced in February that Woodson will step down after the season. Trey Galloway and Malik Reneau led the Hoosiers with 16 points apiece.

With this win, Indiana finished the regular season with a 19-12 overall record and a 10-10 mark in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers earned the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will play No. 8 seed Oregon Thursday at noon ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Woodson and the players did not give speeches during the Senior Day ceremonies, instead opting for video tributes played on the scoreboard. But here’s everything Woodson said in his postgame press conference.

On how he wants fans to remember what he’s done for Indiana over the last four years…

Woodson: “Well, you know, the one thing I look at it is, you know, we’ve been in the tournament a few years. We’ve been able to recruit players. Been able to graduate players. You know, I just want the program to be successful. That’s all. That’s all I ever thought about when I took the job, and that’s how I feel now, you know.”

On his emotions today with it being his last game at Assembly Hall, and what went into his decision to step down…

Woodson: “Well, we’re just focusing on the game. It’s a very emotional game. You know, I think back to 1980 playing this same team for the Big Ten title. That’s the only thing that was going through my head throughout the day, and wanted it so much for these seniors to win because I knew how special that night was for me my senior year, and walking off that floor as a Big Ten Champion. You know, we still have an opportunity to win the Big Ten Tournament. Just like the other 14 teams that will be in it. That’s that’s all I’m thinking about at this point. You know, nothing else.”

On what got Indiana’s offense going late, and what it means to him to see Trey Galloway be a big part of that…

Woodson: “I couldn’t be more proud because he’s caught so much hell, and it was only fitting that he hit the biggest shot of the game tonight, you know, to really seal it and give us the cushion that we needed to win. So I couldn’t be more proud of Trey Galloway and his career he’s had here on this basketball floor. You know, I mean, as a group, we haven’t experienced very many losses in this building. I mean, we’ve won a lot of games in this building, and Trey has been a big part of that because he’s been with me from day one. Anthony has been a part of it from day one. So I’m proud of all of our players, but I’m proud of those two guys, especially, because they have been with me the longest.”

On the confusion with the shot clock before Galloway’s three and what it was like to see him have that moment on Senior Day…

Woodson: “I think we got caught, you know, not really knowing the rule, you know, I mean, it was a loose ball that came out — went out on our end. All you get is 20 seconds on the clock. We were screaming that the clock was wrong, but Trey kept focused and once the pick-and-roll broke down and the guy kind of went up under the screen, he stepped up and made a big shot, which is kind of nice.”

On how Trey Galloway should be remembered at Indiana…

Woodson: “I mean, the only way — thing you can remember Trey is that he plays hard. He competes. And you would be fooling yourself if you think anything else. That’s all I’ve never known him as. I nicknamed him “Crazy Man” when I first started coaching him because he was all over the place. Didn’t know what you were going to get from him but he competed. That’s all he’s ever done. For the fans to sit in here and boo him during the time that they booed him, it just wasn’t right. It just wasn’t. Because that kid competes. He gives his heart. Have nothing but respect and love for Trey Galloway.”

On Luke Goode and Anthony Leal having a career-high eight rebounds…

Woodson: “Seniors that didn’t want to lose. You know, and I rode them. I’ve been riding them. I wasn’t going to take them out at the end. I mean, if you lose, you want to lose with your seniors on the floor. I wasn’t thinking that way. I mean, I think once we — Malik hit the two free throws to give us the two-point lead, we never looked back from that point on. Our defense really got stiff. We made play after play and made some good offensive plays. Made our free throws, a few of them, and enough to give us the cushion to win the game.”

On what associate head coach Yasir Rosemond has meant to him…

Woodson: “All my coaches have been special. After I took this job after spending 34 years of my life in the NBA, it was a different move for me. The fact that I had some college guys that had done it awhile, and they always reminded me of that, called me a rookie coach when I first started, and which I was like, hell, shit, I coached a lot longer than a lot of you guys. But at the end of the day, they have helped me recruit. They have helped me coach on the floor. They have helped me put film sessions together, practice sessions together. I mean, there’s a lot that goes into coaching, a lot that you guys will never, ever know because you don’t sit in the day-to-day grind that we sit in. But it’s a part of what we do. But they have been very special to me, a big part of what we’ve done over the last four years.”

On his comment on the CBS broadcast, saying, “maybe I’m leaving too soon” …

Woodson: “I mean, there’s always going to be that thought. But you know at the end of the day, it’s not — it’s not about me right now. It’s still about this team, and us going up to Indianapolis and trying to win the Big Ten Tournament.”