University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 72, Indiana 68
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 72, Indiana 68
Bloomington, Ind. (Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall)
February 14, 2025
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
โWell, we make it interesting. Weโve had this happen to us several times. I complain about free throws and missing the front end of the 1-and-1, and I look down, and those are the only three we missed. I know two for sure were the front end, Dylan and Sebastian. But theyโve got some kids that Iโve got a lot of respect for. Theyโve been through a lot, obviously, with some tough close losses โ a brutal schedule for their last eight games. Everyone who they play is top 25 on the KenPom. Itโs tough to do that eight times in a row. But Galloway and Gooding, you can see that those kids have a lot of character. I have a lot of respect for them. And obviously, with the coaching situation, they continue to compete. I have a lot of respect for their kids that continue to fight even in that situation. Today, we just uncharacteristically turned the ball over in the second half. We donโt do that. I give them credit, they were at home, their kids kept fighting. We had nine second-half turnovers, and we donโt turn the ball over nine times in entire games. We have turned the ball over six or less times lately. That almost got us. But we finally outrebounded somebody, and we needed it here tonight, because we didnโt turn them over. But they just donโt turn the ball over, thatโs who they are. They keep it simple.โ
on his takeaways from this game
โI go through the same thing every game. We try to win, then we evaluate the film, and think about what we need to do to get better. Because for us, itโs about the NCAA tournament. Thatโs just the way it is. I told these guys for the last two days [that] Illinois was good practice for us to try to execute when weโre down and make a comeback. Youโre in that situation in March. We did a great job of that. We did not get the W, but we did a great job. Tonight, weโve got to learn how to play with the lead. We can watch film on both of those when we get home and try to learn. But I told the guys, if we keep getting out-rebounded, weโre not going anywhere in March. Eventually, weโre going to play somebody like Indiana that just doesnโt turn the ball over, so you canโt be +8 in the turnover margin to make up for the rebounding. They went to the four guards a lot tonight, but Ballo was a load for us.โ
ย
on Aday Mara and his lineups tonight
โThey went to Reneau, whoโs quicker, so I was matching with them. I wanted to put him back in but I looked down and Tyler Bilodeau was our leading scorer, and I didnโt want to take him out. Trust me, I wanted to put him back in. But Iโve got to put Tyler Bilodeau on Luke Goode or Mgbako defensively. I thought the other night that I didnโt do a good job with Eric. I believe in Eric Dailey so much that I put him in a bad spot. So, I thought that if they went small tonight and exploit him a little bit, weโd go with four guards. I thought the other night that I did a bad job with that until the end, and then we made the comeback.โ
ย
on Trent Perry
โWhen teams play small, weโve got the guys to do that, and itโs a great time to play Trent Perry. As you can see, heโs really good. Heโs got a tremendous future.โ
ย
on Dylan Andrewsโ late free throws
โHeโs a great kid, and he cares about his coach, and he didnโt want to see me go to the hospital.โ
ย
on Indianaโs coaching situation
โI just think itโs tough to do that stuff during the season. The whole thing has gotten so crazy, and I donโt like to see that. As far as me, I would never comment on a coaching situation. It would be wildly inappropriate. I'm the son of a coach and the way that I look at it, Mike Woodson is the coach at Indiana. He was a national champion and I happen to know him and his staff. I have tremendous respect for their kids and their team. To me, no one should say anything that distracts from what theyโre doing. I think it would be wildly inappropriate, mostly because of my respect for Coach Woodson. Heโs over there coaching his team. Thatโs my stance.โ
ย
on Indiana's program
โTo be a great program you have to have great tradition and the backbone of support of all the guys in your tradition that played. Iโve got guys like Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Mike Warren and Jamaal Wilkes, the tremendous support of guys at every game. You need tradition, support, your fanbase, and your former players. I donโt know the answer to whatโs intact here, but I know my mentality. I walk out and see Coach Knight like I walk out at my facility and see Coach Wooden.โ
ย
on Sebastian Mackโs technical foul
โI didnโt see the play. They said that he got fouled and then his arm went out. I donโt expect to get calls on the road and I donโt expect to get any calls in our first year in this league.โ
ย
on this being their first cross-country win
โYou can play well in this league and lose. We did not play bad at Maryland. We were down nine when I decided to hit the showers and send a message. Ace Bailey is the second or third pick in the draft, and he hit a fall-away contested three on us in the corner. They were at full strength against us. We didnโt play bad. Dylan [Andrews] had the flu and he played five minutes. People just see the results. I think, whether you win or lose, you have to improve. You have to evaluate your team and your individuals.โ
ย
on looking towards March
โUltimately, weโre playing in a one-and-out tournament. Everybody thinks that they know whoโs going to win it and that we have no chance, but thatโs not the way that we approach it. We will not approach it like that when the day comes, because we practice under 11 banners. Nobody else does that.โ
ย
on speculation about the Indiana coaching job
โSome people would be happy because some people want me fired. When youโre a coach, you have to check your ego. They booed John Calipari at Kentucky. They wouldnโt have booed Bob Knight, if he walked in here, I can promise you that. Thatโs just the way it is. Iโm well aware that I might be on a board for a job, but somebody might want me to lose my job. We got beat on Tuesday, go ahead and check on those boards.โ
ย
on the length of this road trip
โCoach Dana Altman and I, in our meetings, asked about these road trips. In the Pac-12, we were used to one day in between. Leave the day before, play, get to your next place, play, and then youโre back. For this trip, we left Monday morning and weโre going to get back Saturday morning. Itโs too much class missed. I want one day off in between. Some of my Big Ten coaching brethren say that they need two days of game prep. So, I told Coach Izzo, โYou are the best one-day prep guy in history.โ He is 8-0 in Elite Eight games. You donโt need an extra daysโ prep. With his record, I wouldnโt want one. We need to get these kids back home, academics matter. For us itโs three of these trips, plus the Big Ten Tournament. For me, Iโd like one day off in between. In defense of the Big Ten coaches, we were used to one day in the Pac-12. That would be my request.โ
ย
on Trent Perry tonight and looking forward
โIโve had confidence in him, itโs just finding the right times to get him the minutes. I should have more at Illinois. I beat myself up after every loss, and I thought we shouldโve played smaller. When they decided to play small tonight, it was a chance to play Trent and get him minutes. Heโs had a great attitude throughout, being a McDonaldโs All-American and having choppy minutes. He canโt possibly have a better attitude. He could get one shot, and he never stops talking, never stops hustling, always in the right spot. That kidโs going to be a great player โ heโs a winner.โ
ย
UCLA guard Sebastian Mack
on winning a tough game
โIt was a big road win for us. We came out here and we fought, we competed. Even though Indiana has a great group of guys, and they fought at the end, but we showed our toughness and stuck together as a team. I feel like that game helped us out a lot.โ
ย
on tonightโs complete team effort
โWe call it when weโre ready, and we were all ready today. That was one of the very few times that we had a complete, full roster. I feel like we did a hell of a job โ we went out there and we got contributions from Trent and Laz on the boards. We wanted this one.โ
ย
on Dylan Andrewsโ free throws late in the game
โWe tried not to let him stress about it too much. We got you, make or miss. We can either play defense and guard for you, or you make both of these free throws and be straight. We told him, โDonโt even worry about it, you know what to do, youโve been here beforeโ.โ
ย
on the teamโs turnovers and Indianaโs attempted comeback
โIt was a game of runs. We didnโt dwell our heads on the turnovers and the little fouls that we had. We kept our heads down and we still fought, and thatโs why we were victorious today.โ
ย
on his technical foul
โIt was nothing, really. I grabbed my arm and tried to rip it out of there, but itโs cool. Itโs just the game, itโs Big Ten basketball, youโve just got to play through it.โ
ย
on the teamโs reaction to the win in the locker room
โWe said our hoorays, but weโve still got to buckle down. Weโve got to get right back to it as soon as we land.โ
ย
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews
on the atmosphere at Assembly Hall
โWe came here for practice a day or two early. When we pulled up here, I didnโt realize that the stands looked like that. It was exciting to play here.โ
ย
on his two late-game free throws
โAt the end of the day, you know youโre not going to make every shot. Youโve got to stay confident [and] got to stay poised. Going down the stretch we missed a bunch of free throws. I missed one front end, Bas [Sebastian Mack] missed one front end. But I knew if I had another chance to shoot free throws, I was making them.โ
ย
on winning in a tough environment
โThis is a big road win. Weโre playing at Assembly Hall โ you donโt just come to Indiana and win a game like that. It was a gritty win. Itโs just a credit to my team, to my coach, credit to everybody. This is a big win for us.โ
ย
on staying calm through a gritty win
โYouโve got to stay calm, stay poised. It was going to come down to the last possession, and we had the ball on the last possession. Luckily, Mgbako missed that last three-point shot.โ
ย
UCLA 72, Indiana 68
Bloomington, Ind. (Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall)
February 14, 2025
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
โWell, we make it interesting. Weโve had this happen to us several times. I complain about free throws and missing the front end of the 1-and-1, and I look down, and those are the only three we missed. I know two for sure were the front end, Dylan and Sebastian. But theyโve got some kids that Iโve got a lot of respect for. Theyโve been through a lot, obviously, with some tough close losses โ a brutal schedule for their last eight games. Everyone who they play is top 25 on the KenPom. Itโs tough to do that eight times in a row. But Galloway and Gooding, you can see that those kids have a lot of character. I have a lot of respect for them. And obviously, with the coaching situation, they continue to compete. I have a lot of respect for their kids that continue to fight even in that situation. Today, we just uncharacteristically turned the ball over in the second half. We donโt do that. I give them credit, they were at home, their kids kept fighting. We had nine second-half turnovers, and we donโt turn the ball over nine times in entire games. We have turned the ball over six or less times lately. That almost got us. But we finally outrebounded somebody, and we needed it here tonight, because we didnโt turn them over. But they just donโt turn the ball over, thatโs who they are. They keep it simple.โ
on his takeaways from this game
โI go through the same thing every game. We try to win, then we evaluate the film, and think about what we need to do to get better. Because for us, itโs about the NCAA tournament. Thatโs just the way it is. I told these guys for the last two days [that] Illinois was good practice for us to try to execute when weโre down and make a comeback. Youโre in that situation in March. We did a great job of that. We did not get the W, but we did a great job. Tonight, weโve got to learn how to play with the lead. We can watch film on both of those when we get home and try to learn. But I told the guys, if we keep getting out-rebounded, weโre not going anywhere in March. Eventually, weโre going to play somebody like Indiana that just doesnโt turn the ball over, so you canโt be +8 in the turnover margin to make up for the rebounding. They went to the four guards a lot tonight, but Ballo was a load for us.โ
ย
on Aday Mara and his lineups tonight
โThey went to Reneau, whoโs quicker, so I was matching with them. I wanted to put him back in but I looked down and Tyler Bilodeau was our leading scorer, and I didnโt want to take him out. Trust me, I wanted to put him back in. But Iโve got to put Tyler Bilodeau on Luke Goode or Mgbako defensively. I thought the other night that I didnโt do a good job with Eric. I believe in Eric Dailey so much that I put him in a bad spot. So, I thought that if they went small tonight and exploit him a little bit, weโd go with four guards. I thought the other night that I did a bad job with that until the end, and then we made the comeback.โ
ย
on Trent Perry
โWhen teams play small, weโve got the guys to do that, and itโs a great time to play Trent Perry. As you can see, heโs really good. Heโs got a tremendous future.โ
ย
on Dylan Andrewsโ late free throws
โHeโs a great kid, and he cares about his coach, and he didnโt want to see me go to the hospital.โ
ย
on Indianaโs coaching situation
โI just think itโs tough to do that stuff during the season. The whole thing has gotten so crazy, and I donโt like to see that. As far as me, I would never comment on a coaching situation. It would be wildly inappropriate. I'm the son of a coach and the way that I look at it, Mike Woodson is the coach at Indiana. He was a national champion and I happen to know him and his staff. I have tremendous respect for their kids and their team. To me, no one should say anything that distracts from what theyโre doing. I think it would be wildly inappropriate, mostly because of my respect for Coach Woodson. Heโs over there coaching his team. Thatโs my stance.โ
ย
on Indiana's program
โTo be a great program you have to have great tradition and the backbone of support of all the guys in your tradition that played. Iโve got guys like Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] and Mike Warren and Jamaal Wilkes, the tremendous support of guys at every game. You need tradition, support, your fanbase, and your former players. I donโt know the answer to whatโs intact here, but I know my mentality. I walk out and see Coach Knight like I walk out at my facility and see Coach Wooden.โ
ย
on Sebastian Mackโs technical foul
โI didnโt see the play. They said that he got fouled and then his arm went out. I donโt expect to get calls on the road and I donโt expect to get any calls in our first year in this league.โ
ย
on this being their first cross-country win
โYou can play well in this league and lose. We did not play bad at Maryland. We were down nine when I decided to hit the showers and send a message. Ace Bailey is the second or third pick in the draft, and he hit a fall-away contested three on us in the corner. They were at full strength against us. We didnโt play bad. Dylan [Andrews] had the flu and he played five minutes. People just see the results. I think, whether you win or lose, you have to improve. You have to evaluate your team and your individuals.โ
ย
on looking towards March
โUltimately, weโre playing in a one-and-out tournament. Everybody thinks that they know whoโs going to win it and that we have no chance, but thatโs not the way that we approach it. We will not approach it like that when the day comes, because we practice under 11 banners. Nobody else does that.โ
ย
on speculation about the Indiana coaching job
โSome people would be happy because some people want me fired. When youโre a coach, you have to check your ego. They booed John Calipari at Kentucky. They wouldnโt have booed Bob Knight, if he walked in here, I can promise you that. Thatโs just the way it is. Iโm well aware that I might be on a board for a job, but somebody might want me to lose my job. We got beat on Tuesday, go ahead and check on those boards.โ
ย
on the length of this road trip
โCoach Dana Altman and I, in our meetings, asked about these road trips. In the Pac-12, we were used to one day in between. Leave the day before, play, get to your next place, play, and then youโre back. For this trip, we left Monday morning and weโre going to get back Saturday morning. Itโs too much class missed. I want one day off in between. Some of my Big Ten coaching brethren say that they need two days of game prep. So, I told Coach Izzo, โYou are the best one-day prep guy in history.โ He is 8-0 in Elite Eight games. You donโt need an extra daysโ prep. With his record, I wouldnโt want one. We need to get these kids back home, academics matter. For us itโs three of these trips, plus the Big Ten Tournament. For me, Iโd like one day off in between. In defense of the Big Ten coaches, we were used to one day in the Pac-12. That would be my request.โ
ย
on Trent Perry tonight and looking forward
โIโve had confidence in him, itโs just finding the right times to get him the minutes. I should have more at Illinois. I beat myself up after every loss, and I thought we shouldโve played smaller. When they decided to play small tonight, it was a chance to play Trent and get him minutes. Heโs had a great attitude throughout, being a McDonaldโs All-American and having choppy minutes. He canโt possibly have a better attitude. He could get one shot, and he never stops talking, never stops hustling, always in the right spot. That kidโs going to be a great player โ heโs a winner.โ
ย
UCLA guard Sebastian Mack
on winning a tough game
โIt was a big road win for us. We came out here and we fought, we competed. Even though Indiana has a great group of guys, and they fought at the end, but we showed our toughness and stuck together as a team. I feel like that game helped us out a lot.โ
ย
on tonightโs complete team effort
โWe call it when weโre ready, and we were all ready today. That was one of the very few times that we had a complete, full roster. I feel like we did a hell of a job โ we went out there and we got contributions from Trent and Laz on the boards. We wanted this one.โ
ย
on Dylan Andrewsโ free throws late in the game
โWe tried not to let him stress about it too much. We got you, make or miss. We can either play defense and guard for you, or you make both of these free throws and be straight. We told him, โDonโt even worry about it, you know what to do, youโve been here beforeโ.โ
ย
on the teamโs turnovers and Indianaโs attempted comeback
โIt was a game of runs. We didnโt dwell our heads on the turnovers and the little fouls that we had. We kept our heads down and we still fought, and thatโs why we were victorious today.โ
ย
on his technical foul
โIt was nothing, really. I grabbed my arm and tried to rip it out of there, but itโs cool. Itโs just the game, itโs Big Ten basketball, youโve just got to play through it.โ
ย
on the teamโs reaction to the win in the locker room
โWe said our hoorays, but weโve still got to buckle down. Weโve got to get right back to it as soon as we land.โ
ย
UCLA guard Dylan Andrews
on the atmosphere at Assembly Hall
โWe came here for practice a day or two early. When we pulled up here, I didnโt realize that the stands looked like that. It was exciting to play here.โ
ย
on his two late-game free throws
โAt the end of the day, you know youโre not going to make every shot. Youโve got to stay confident [and] got to stay poised. Going down the stretch we missed a bunch of free throws. I missed one front end, Bas [Sebastian Mack] missed one front end. But I knew if I had another chance to shoot free throws, I was making them.โ
ย
on winning in a tough environment
โThis is a big road win. Weโre playing at Assembly Hall โ you donโt just come to Indiana and win a game like that. It was a gritty win. Itโs just a credit to my team, to my coach, credit to everybody. This is a big win for us.โ
ย
on staying calm through a gritty win
โYouโve got to stay calm, stay poised. It was going to come down to the last possession, and we had the ball on the last possession. Luckily, Mgbako missed that last three-point shot.โ
ย