Postgame Quotes - Gonzaga 82, UCLA 72
POSTGAME QUOTES
No. 8 Gonzaga 82, No. 25 UCLA 72
Seattle, Wash. (Climate Pledge Arena)
December 13, 2025
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
“You know, when you shoot, you're 25-for-51 from the field, us, 7-for-15 for three, and 15-for-19 from the foul line – on the road, you should have a chance to win at the end, or win. Or at least have a chance to win. We just couldn't get the job done, defensively. We tried zone, man, double, triple team in the post. You name it, we couldn't get the job done. When you foul as much as we had to foul, it's 'cause you're out of position, out of position, against good teams. That's how you end up fouling. So they shot 32 free throws.”
on the defensive effort
“I thought it was Brandon [Williams], and him spraining his ankle. He couldn't go. I tried to put him back in, he couldn't get to the table. I agree with you. I agree. But Steve [Jamerson] got to give us better toughness and physicality. If we got to do it, we got to do it, Brandon will do it if he needs to. We were playing Brandon at the five. It's okay, he’s 6-9, 230. Tough kid. Probably tougher than all of them, to be honest. But I would agree with you. I mean, the stats said he played five minutes or so. There was, I don't like the single, what would have happened if he wouldn't have got hurt, because he was the most effective guy out there.”
on playing zone
“Look, they're good. They average almost 94 points a game. Our problem is, we can't follow the scout. We don't play smart. We got to try. We got guys that play hard. Effort is not our problem. We do not play smart at all and it's perplexing. I can assure you, I mean, it's my 23rd year, you know, won a lot of games because you play smart on defense. Make them beat you, without their strength, been doing this a long time. Like we did it to them last year. Held them to 58, or something. We just, we're really not playing smart. Even some of our best guys, like, Skyy’s foul at the end of the Oregon game, at the end of the shot clock. Remember that? Tyler, what are you doing at the end of the half? We got them, we showed zone, went man, they got no clue, there’s four seconds. Just back up, the guy takes a desperation shot. What are you jumping him for? It's just basic basketball that we are really struggling with right now. We got good kids and we're trying, but we have just got to play smarter. I mean, this would have been an unbelievable win in this environment. And, by the way, this arena is awesome. Hopefully they get an NBA team here.”
on the late game execution
“Defense beat us. We shot 50 percent from three and the field. Defense beat us. Tyler needs to get the ball in the post. They had a guy on him who is 6-5. That's where we struggle with, at times. Intelligence. I'm sitting there and say, ‘There's got a 6-5 guy on Tyler, he's been scoring all night,’ and they get their guy the ball.”
on Donovan Dent’s offense
“Yeah, he’s not going to make everything. He's got 12 points and 10 assists. I'm down on his turnovers because those kill, in a game like this – can't just throw it away and they lay it in. He's too good for that. But a couple times, those teammates left him out to dry on a baseline cut – where Booker should have had a dunk. Donny, we were set up to play the timeout. They took the bait and they left him, and all you'd do was cut and dunk it. He's over at the three-point line, so right now, we're just struggling in that area. Good kids and they are trying hard, obviously. Did a lot of good things tonight against a great team with a Hall of Fame coach, I mean, he should be.”
on improving the team’s decision making
“Teach, watch film, keep teaching. Stay relentless. You have stay relentless. I found this in coaching. People pay attention to what they want to, in life. People pay attention to what they want. If we think we're going to win with our offense, in a game like this, and give up 82. I theorize that you don't think it's that important. So I've told some teams that they believed that, and this is the portal era problem, you know, you had a certain culture, whether it was my first five years here [at UCLA], or the great run we were on in Cincinnati. You have a culture of, guys know and they know why they win. You don't do stuff like that. That’s the hardest part of this. Although you know, you bring in some guys that are older.”
UCLA senior Tyler Bilodeau
on playing some at the five position against Gonzaga
“Wherever the team needs me, I'll play. Toughness, you know, and then we got to follow the scouting report.”
on the challenges that Gonzaga’s two main post players present
“I mean, they're both really good. We let them get to their strong hand, their left hand, and they really capitalize on that, so we have to be better there.”
on the run that UCLA’s team went on midway through the second half
“We knew it was going to be a game of runs. Every tough game is going to be like that. We just have to stay together, and, keep our confidence and, keep fighting.”
on playing smart basketball
“I think we have to do a better job listening. Like I said earlier, scouting report, and then two not making dumb fouls. I had a dumb one at the end of the half. Stuff like that. I just have to minimize those mistakes.”
on the zone defense and how that can be effective for UCLA
“I think switching between man and zone is always tough to play against.”
UCLA senior Donovan Dent
“We knew coming into this game that they wanted to score a lot of points in the paint. We know they lead the country in it, and we preached on it all week in practice, and we just didn't come out and do our job and guard the paint that was tonight. Just silly stuff. We were giving them the shots they wanted when we really preach, saying, like, we can't let them get to this little left-hand hook. They are both lefties, and they were killing us in the paint.”
on the Bruins’ late-game execution
“They did a good job switching up to the zone. I think it slowed us down a good amount. There was like a three-minute stretch where they switched to that zone. I think that's kind of when the game separated a little bit. They did a good job switching up. We weren't quite ready for their zone. So that's on us. We'll be better.”
on teams playing him more physically
“I mean, I feel like I dealt with the physicality fine tonight. I had a couple of silly turnovers that just can't happen. Two for layups. We said turnovers were going to kill us today, so I have to work on those in practice this week, and we'll get right back to it.
on feeling more confident on the court
“Yeah, absolutely – I know what kind of player I am, so I just want to get back to that. I had a bit of a mental stretch there, a little bit to start the season. Coaches put full faith behind me, so just getting me back up and stuff. So I just want to keep building in the right direction because we want to win.”