University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 95, Illinois 94 (OT)
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 95, Illinois 94 (OT)
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
February 21, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coachย
opening statement
โGreat college basketball game, and that's the second team to come in here as the number one offensive team in the country, and we got a win. As good as they were offensively in the first half, we havenโt given up much for the second half. Offensively, around halftime is when we really started getting back into the game. Our intensity picked up, and I thought Eric was a big part of that, and he was ready to fight tonight. Screaming and yelling at guys in a positive way, and you need guys who play with pride. People talk so much about playing hard, and coaches are guilty of that too. But youโve got to play hard on both sides. Execution matters on both ends of the basketball. Offensively, for the first 10 minutes, we did not run one thing we had practiced, because we were rattled because of their drop coverage and hadnโt played a team like that since UC Irvine [exhibition game]. The Big Ten is like the NBA, and the schedule is going to get you at some point. Thereโs so many good teams, and the schedule got us this past week, and I thought it knocked our confidence out.โ
on the defensive adjustments for the gameplan
โThe team is capable of that, and with all the good players like Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, they're hard to cover. We wanted to make other guys beat us tonight. Theyโre good players, and they really play hard in rebounding. They get you caught up in switches and situations that are hard to deal with. You can box out, but itโs hard when they get you in a switch, and they got a 7-2 guy rebounding against a 6-1 guy. Because of their ability to shoot, they get you stuck in certain situations. Weโve started three small guards, and it was 15 to nothing on the second-chance points, going into halftime. Then we went on a run with 10 minutes left in the game, and they still had not had a second-chance point in the second half. Thatโs how we got them.โ
on how close the last play was to what they had drawn up
โExactly how it is, but I didnโt do anything. With coaching culture when the ball goes in, you look smart, but if Brandon Williams doesnโt run with Donovan Dent and throw the right pass, then you look dumb. Tyler Bilodeau set the back screen perfectly, and you give the kids credit as they executed it perfectly. It wasnโt a play youโve never seen before, and itโs not that complicated.โ
on how a ranked win can help the team gain some momentumย
โI hope it helps our confidence. We held them to 29 percent shooting in the second half and 22 percent in overtime, and they were the number one offensive team in the country. We have the capability of being a better defensive team, and it has been shown against teams like Purdue. We did it in the second half tonight. If we go back to playing defense like we did in the first half, then no, I donโt think this will help. If youโre bought in defensively, then you have a great chance to win.โ
on how starting three small guards has affected the offenseย
โYou just have to get your best guys out, and Skyy is getting to a point where he can handle the minutes because he was on a minutes restriction at Michigan, and he cramped at Michigan State. This has been the plan, though, because we have five guys who average double figures. You have to play your best players. Just getting Skyy to that point of playing but I donโt know how much it worked early. In the second half, we started that same lineup down by seven and made the run, so it worked. It also motivated Xaiver Booker who went and shot seven for eight.โ
UCLA senior Donovan Dent
on the final play of the game
โThat was exactly what we drew up. I mean, last second, he told Tyler to come up and set the back screen, because originally, we were going to have him in the corner. But when we came out to the huddle, we saw the way they were guarding it, so we had Tyler flash up for the back screen, and Coach trusted me to get to the rim within five seconds, and that's what I did. I mean, it's a tough position for any defender with a guy coming at you full speed, and I change direction like that. So, once I changed direction, I saw that he was behind me, it was just really me and 44 [Zvonimir Ivisic]. I kind of jumped before him, so I got him in the air, and then once I got him there, it was kind of up and under and I made the layup.โ
on how the win felt overall
โAmazing. Especially during the end of the stretch that I wasn't making a layup to save in my life. I think it was, like, five in a row. So, for me to get that one to drop is amazing, and everyone just storming the court, celebrating, it was just a great feeling.โ
on the teamโs confidence going into this final stretch of regular-season games
โI mean, we came together. Last night, this whole week, weโve just been together as a team. Any day on the outside, noise and all that, everyone could speak, whatever. It's all about what's going on in the locker room, and, I think in the locker room right now, we're at the highest point together as a team. So, it just speaks volumes in how we responded to the road loss, to come out here and get a big win. It was big time.โ
on playing against former high school teammate Kylan Boswell
โYeah, we were talking the whole game, I feel like. It was good seeing him again. It was just it was good to compete against him. We competed against each other since we were younger, always in practice, one on one. We always worked out together. So, it was just good to compete against him again. He gave us one [free throw], I think that was perfect. I told him to give me another one, he made a second one, but it was all right. I got one at him.โ
on if they played with more togetherness in this game after the road losses
โAbsolutely. I think in every way possible we're connected. Even when we went down big, we were still connected as a team in the huddles and everything, and we just kept saying, Keep fighting. We had to keep chipping away at the lead in the first half, and that just shows how connected we were this game.โ
on keeping the intensity up for Tuesdayโs upcoming USC game
โI mean, I feel like that's an easy one to have intensity for, itโs a rivalry game. Like, you get up for those games, youโve got to be ready. But for us, our season is on the line right now. So, weโve just got to play with everything we have. We're in desperation mode right now.โ
on his first USC rivalry game
โI'm excited for it. You know what time it is.โ
on the differences with playing top-10 ranked foes at home, versus on the road
โThe road losses, we're just going to put behind us in the best way possible. Weโve just got to flush those. I don't think it was any mental or anything like that. I think it was just a bad week for us, so we got to flush those and just keep moving forward. We still have, I think, another ranked opponent. We got Nebraska coming up here. Weโve got to go to Minnesota. Weโve just got to win those ones. That's really all that matters for us.
UCLA senior Eric Dailey Jr.
on his energy coming into the game
โLike you said, vocal. Whatever I can do for the team, that's what I'm going to do. If I have to talk, and get on guys, and talk, and defense, whatever Iโve got to do to make sure that we're going out at a high intensity, that's what I'm here to do. When I came out, those guys kept going with that intensity and that energy, and that's all I wanted.โ
on how he has Coach Croninโs back
โI think we just showed our fight. Fighting for him, fighting for our team, fighting for the school, that's what it comes to at the end of the day is our toughness, our mental toughness. We really locked in tonight. I love how we responded to the shots they were making. Even when we had lapses, the next play, we got it back. So, I think that was very important tonight for us. If we just keep this intensity going, this mindset, we would be good.โ
on what he felt like coming into todayโs contest
โWin the game. Win the game, however weโve got to win. I had 20 nights, but like If I had two, if we won, great day. It doesnโt matter. So, um whatever we got to win. I just want to win, and my team wanted to win. So, we got the win tonight, that's all that matters.โ
on the message to the team at halftime
โWe just pick each other up. I mean, one thing we've been trying to focus on is positive words towards each other. Just encouraging each other to do good when things โ when the player has their head down, pick them up. talking positive, that's really what we've been trying to bring, because honestly, there's been a lot of negativity towards our program, towards everything. Those outside forces, we can't let them get in. So, by just being positive and encouraging and picking people up when they miss shots, don't worry about next shot. That kind of talk really carries the team, and it kept us hot today.โ
on carrying their defensive execution forward into the USC game
โJust make sure we communicate. Make sure they're in the right spots, off the ball. Really, those two things have been helping us. If we communicate and talk, and we're in the right positions, our defense looks pretty good. So, when we do those things, and play with anticipation. We were getting deflections today. It was all over the place, so that was good. We keep that intensity going and weโll be all right.โ
UCLA senior Tyler Bilodeau
on coming back against Illinois despite the rebounding margin
โI mean, what are they, like, the number one rebounding team? For a reason. I know, we got caught on a couple switch switches, kind of a couple scrambles, didn't get great rebounding position. They kind of hurt us there. But I thought we showed great toughness despite that. Still being able to get the win. So, Iโm proud of these guys for sure.โ
on Xavier Bookerโs impact on the offensive glass
โThat was huge. He showed a lot of toughness. He had two huge offensive rebounds, and that's what wins games right there. He was able to knock down some shots for us, which was huge. So, he did a great job.โ
on the message to his teammates in the huddle in the final minute of overtime
โWe got to stay together. Ebbs and flows in the game, we've been trying to emphasize staying together, huddling after every play. Getting everyone on the same page, so that's all I was trying to do.โ
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood
opening statement
โGive UCLA a lot of credit. We were lackadaisical on the defensive side. We let a guy like Dailey, whoโs not really a great three-point shooter make some shots. Booker also got it going for them. I thought our offensive rebounding got us going in the beginning. Give them credit, we let one guy who we said, โWe canโt let him beat us,โ beat us. It was a tough night.โ
On the desperation of the UCLA team
โFor us, it was so easy early, but they we started letting average shooters make shots. Iโm proud of what we did though, in the second half. Weโve lost two games on the road like this, not going after defensive rebounds. This really just has to stop.โ
on UCLAโs overall effort
โThey have player-only meetings, and they were fighting for a good win, especially at home. Give them credit, they deserved it. We just have to get better defensively. Thatโs what Iโm kind of ticked off about, knowing that Dailey is a driver and Dentโs a driver, and he got a shot at the rim. We just didnโt follow the scout.โ
on similar road losses in the gameโs final seconds
โWe just have to play all the time. The game is 40 minutes. These are two different teams, but we have to bounce back. The main thing is we have to keep our focus and keep our mental.โ
ย
UCLA 95, Illinois 94 (OT)
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
February 21, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coachย
opening statement
โGreat college basketball game, and that's the second team to come in here as the number one offensive team in the country, and we got a win. As good as they were offensively in the first half, we havenโt given up much for the second half. Offensively, around halftime is when we really started getting back into the game. Our intensity picked up, and I thought Eric was a big part of that, and he was ready to fight tonight. Screaming and yelling at guys in a positive way, and you need guys who play with pride. People talk so much about playing hard, and coaches are guilty of that too. But youโve got to play hard on both sides. Execution matters on both ends of the basketball. Offensively, for the first 10 minutes, we did not run one thing we had practiced, because we were rattled because of their drop coverage and hadnโt played a team like that since UC Irvine [exhibition game]. The Big Ten is like the NBA, and the schedule is going to get you at some point. Thereโs so many good teams, and the schedule got us this past week, and I thought it knocked our confidence out.โ
on the defensive adjustments for the gameplan
โThe team is capable of that, and with all the good players like Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, they're hard to cover. We wanted to make other guys beat us tonight. Theyโre good players, and they really play hard in rebounding. They get you caught up in switches and situations that are hard to deal with. You can box out, but itโs hard when they get you in a switch, and they got a 7-2 guy rebounding against a 6-1 guy. Because of their ability to shoot, they get you stuck in certain situations. Weโve started three small guards, and it was 15 to nothing on the second-chance points, going into halftime. Then we went on a run with 10 minutes left in the game, and they still had not had a second-chance point in the second half. Thatโs how we got them.โ
on how close the last play was to what they had drawn up
โExactly how it is, but I didnโt do anything. With coaching culture when the ball goes in, you look smart, but if Brandon Williams doesnโt run with Donovan Dent and throw the right pass, then you look dumb. Tyler Bilodeau set the back screen perfectly, and you give the kids credit as they executed it perfectly. It wasnโt a play youโve never seen before, and itโs not that complicated.โ
on how a ranked win can help the team gain some momentumย
โI hope it helps our confidence. We held them to 29 percent shooting in the second half and 22 percent in overtime, and they were the number one offensive team in the country. We have the capability of being a better defensive team, and it has been shown against teams like Purdue. We did it in the second half tonight. If we go back to playing defense like we did in the first half, then no, I donโt think this will help. If youโre bought in defensively, then you have a great chance to win.โ
on how starting three small guards has affected the offenseย
โYou just have to get your best guys out, and Skyy is getting to a point where he can handle the minutes because he was on a minutes restriction at Michigan, and he cramped at Michigan State. This has been the plan, though, because we have five guys who average double figures. You have to play your best players. Just getting Skyy to that point of playing but I donโt know how much it worked early. In the second half, we started that same lineup down by seven and made the run, so it worked. It also motivated Xaiver Booker who went and shot seven for eight.โ
UCLA senior Donovan Dent
on the final play of the game
โThat was exactly what we drew up. I mean, last second, he told Tyler to come up and set the back screen, because originally, we were going to have him in the corner. But when we came out to the huddle, we saw the way they were guarding it, so we had Tyler flash up for the back screen, and Coach trusted me to get to the rim within five seconds, and that's what I did. I mean, it's a tough position for any defender with a guy coming at you full speed, and I change direction like that. So, once I changed direction, I saw that he was behind me, it was just really me and 44 [Zvonimir Ivisic]. I kind of jumped before him, so I got him in the air, and then once I got him there, it was kind of up and under and I made the layup.โ
on how the win felt overall
โAmazing. Especially during the end of the stretch that I wasn't making a layup to save in my life. I think it was, like, five in a row. So, for me to get that one to drop is amazing, and everyone just storming the court, celebrating, it was just a great feeling.โ
on the teamโs confidence going into this final stretch of regular-season games
โI mean, we came together. Last night, this whole week, weโve just been together as a team. Any day on the outside, noise and all that, everyone could speak, whatever. It's all about what's going on in the locker room, and, I think in the locker room right now, we're at the highest point together as a team. So, it just speaks volumes in how we responded to the road loss, to come out here and get a big win. It was big time.โ
on playing against former high school teammate Kylan Boswell
โYeah, we were talking the whole game, I feel like. It was good seeing him again. It was just it was good to compete against him. We competed against each other since we were younger, always in practice, one on one. We always worked out together. So, it was just good to compete against him again. He gave us one [free throw], I think that was perfect. I told him to give me another one, he made a second one, but it was all right. I got one at him.โ
on if they played with more togetherness in this game after the road losses
โAbsolutely. I think in every way possible we're connected. Even when we went down big, we were still connected as a team in the huddles and everything, and we just kept saying, Keep fighting. We had to keep chipping away at the lead in the first half, and that just shows how connected we were this game.โ
on keeping the intensity up for Tuesdayโs upcoming USC game
โI mean, I feel like that's an easy one to have intensity for, itโs a rivalry game. Like, you get up for those games, youโve got to be ready. But for us, our season is on the line right now. So, weโve just got to play with everything we have. We're in desperation mode right now.โ
on his first USC rivalry game
โI'm excited for it. You know what time it is.โ
on the differences with playing top-10 ranked foes at home, versus on the road
โThe road losses, we're just going to put behind us in the best way possible. Weโve just got to flush those. I don't think it was any mental or anything like that. I think it was just a bad week for us, so we got to flush those and just keep moving forward. We still have, I think, another ranked opponent. We got Nebraska coming up here. Weโve got to go to Minnesota. Weโve just got to win those ones. That's really all that matters for us.
UCLA senior Eric Dailey Jr.
on his energy coming into the game
โLike you said, vocal. Whatever I can do for the team, that's what I'm going to do. If I have to talk, and get on guys, and talk, and defense, whatever Iโve got to do to make sure that we're going out at a high intensity, that's what I'm here to do. When I came out, those guys kept going with that intensity and that energy, and that's all I wanted.โ
on how he has Coach Croninโs back
โI think we just showed our fight. Fighting for him, fighting for our team, fighting for the school, that's what it comes to at the end of the day is our toughness, our mental toughness. We really locked in tonight. I love how we responded to the shots they were making. Even when we had lapses, the next play, we got it back. So, I think that was very important tonight for us. If we just keep this intensity going, this mindset, we would be good.โ
on what he felt like coming into todayโs contest
โWin the game. Win the game, however weโve got to win. I had 20 nights, but like If I had two, if we won, great day. It doesnโt matter. So, um whatever we got to win. I just want to win, and my team wanted to win. So, we got the win tonight, that's all that matters.โ
on the message to the team at halftime
โWe just pick each other up. I mean, one thing we've been trying to focus on is positive words towards each other. Just encouraging each other to do good when things โ when the player has their head down, pick them up. talking positive, that's really what we've been trying to bring, because honestly, there's been a lot of negativity towards our program, towards everything. Those outside forces, we can't let them get in. So, by just being positive and encouraging and picking people up when they miss shots, don't worry about next shot. That kind of talk really carries the team, and it kept us hot today.โ
on carrying their defensive execution forward into the USC game
โJust make sure we communicate. Make sure they're in the right spots, off the ball. Really, those two things have been helping us. If we communicate and talk, and we're in the right positions, our defense looks pretty good. So, when we do those things, and play with anticipation. We were getting deflections today. It was all over the place, so that was good. We keep that intensity going and weโll be all right.โ
UCLA senior Tyler Bilodeau
on coming back against Illinois despite the rebounding margin
โI mean, what are they, like, the number one rebounding team? For a reason. I know, we got caught on a couple switch switches, kind of a couple scrambles, didn't get great rebounding position. They kind of hurt us there. But I thought we showed great toughness despite that. Still being able to get the win. So, Iโm proud of these guys for sure.โ
on Xavier Bookerโs impact on the offensive glass
โThat was huge. He showed a lot of toughness. He had two huge offensive rebounds, and that's what wins games right there. He was able to knock down some shots for us, which was huge. So, he did a great job.โ
on the message to his teammates in the huddle in the final minute of overtime
โWe got to stay together. Ebbs and flows in the game, we've been trying to emphasize staying together, huddling after every play. Getting everyone on the same page, so that's all I was trying to do.โ
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood
opening statement
โGive UCLA a lot of credit. We were lackadaisical on the defensive side. We let a guy like Dailey, whoโs not really a great three-point shooter make some shots. Booker also got it going for them. I thought our offensive rebounding got us going in the beginning. Give them credit, we let one guy who we said, โWe canโt let him beat us,โ beat us. It was a tough night.โ
On the desperation of the UCLA team
โFor us, it was so easy early, but they we started letting average shooters make shots. Iโm proud of what we did though, in the second half. Weโve lost two games on the road like this, not going after defensive rebounds. This really just has to stop.โ
on UCLAโs overall effort
โThey have player-only meetings, and they were fighting for a good win, especially at home. Give them credit, they deserved it. We just have to get better defensively. Thatโs what Iโm kind of ticked off about, knowing that Dailey is a driver and Dentโs a driver, and he got a shot at the rim. We just didnโt follow the scout.โ
on similar road losses in the gameโs final seconds
โWe just have to play all the time. The game is 40 minutes. These are two different teams, but we have to bounce back. The main thing is we have to keep our focus and keep our mental.โ
ย