University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 81, USC 62
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 81, USC 62
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
February 24, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coachย
opening statement
โTook us a while to pull away. Theyโre a very athletic team. Obviously, [Chad] Baker-Mazara is a potent offensive player that can turn your lights out. But, proud of the guys who got the job done, this late in the year. Guys are just trying to win and stay healthy. Iโm well aware you guys are going to ask about rebounding โ as I tell people, you can't be great at everything. We are surely not When we share the ball, we're a very, very high-level offensive team. When we share the ball. That said, tonight, Donny had a great game, got Tyler some balls late. Got some different contributions for 35 deflections. Happy with the win, and nobody got injured, so onwardโ
on how Donovan Dentโs performances in the last two games affects team performance
โYeah, he was five for six from three. You know, when you guys came to practice this summer, thatโs the guy you saw. I tell Josh Lewin, Iโm not sure how much you hear my pregame, but nobody is going anywhere in March without their best players playing well. Nobody. I mean, you can go to the NBA, I mean, especially in hoops. Because like in football or baseball, you can just win one to nothing. Somebody won the Super Bowl, six to nothing, didnโt they? Trent Dilfer was the quarterback. But in hoops, you can't do that. High-level team, high-level team, so with your best players, obviously Donny being one of ours, has a playbook. Eric couldn't get it going tonight. It was not a good night for Eric. But Eric's a great player, so we didn't need it tonight because Donovan stepped up. I would tell out of the guys that are starting, it can't just be Tyler Bilodeau and pray for rain. Itโs an old baseball term โ I looked that up. Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain. Look that up.โ
on working with Donovan Dent on his shot
โJust simple things. I mean, not to get too technical with you, but just trying to, itโs basically trying to get his hips back, his shoulders, over his hands. Bob Huggins, I know this might seem crazy, as he was known as such a tough coach, but he was an elite teacher of shooting of the basketball as a player. And I was fortunate, obviously, I worked for him for five years. He was an elite teacher of shooting. Your head must stay still โ so, if your head goes back, the anatomy lesson, then your body follows. So on and so forth โฆ Donny has some problems with his head going back. So, shoutout to Coach Huggins. People would never know, unless you work for him.โ
on the teamโs defensive effort
โWhat did we end up with, eight steals? Yeah, so look, theyโre second in the country, out of what, 365 teams, in free throws attempted, because they get to the rim. We were trying to stop that as best we could. They still got there some. They only had eight points in the paint at halftime. So, it will be much tougher at the Galen Center. Much tougher. But I told the guys, if you hold teams to 62, itโs hard to lose. Once we stop wasting possessions and taking hard shots, once we executed, found each other, and gave each other some space to operate, we're hard to guard. We were 18 for 31, the second half. We let them hang around, wasting possessions.โ
on how the team has his back
โWe don't even talk about stuff like that. We've got great guys on our team. I've said that all year. We just donโt rebound well. Iโm worried about these guys. They don't need to worry about me, Iโm good. Trust me.โ
on Ezra Ausar not going to the foul line
โI have massive respect for Ausar. I was on my staff about why he wasn't on our portal list. He's just a super tough kid, and he's aggressive. I just love guys that play hard. That guy plays so hard. We didn't put him on the foul line. We got to try to get as many people in there as we could, because he's an elite finisher around the rim. The guys did a really good job on him. But I got massive respect for him, as a result. That kid is a soldier, man. Obviously, I've seen them play a lot. He's, my favorite.โ
on if the team is at their highest point
โI'm glad they feel that way. I would say youโre always as good as your next game. But when you win, your team's going to have a better feeling about themselves. Sometimes you can play well and lose them, and we couldโve lost that game, I still thought it was one of the best comebacks that Iโve been a part of. But, you know, we have a little goal here for the end of the year. Weโve got two down, three to go.โ
on the crowd and the atmosphere in Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday
โYeah, the crowd was awesome. I would say, time of day helped. Would you guys agree with that? See, now that I'm a Southern California guy, and in particular, the west-side, the jam-ups on Sunset, with everybody leaving Santa Monica and works in the beach areas. The later game, I think, helps. This is just my opinion. But you know what? Again, just like our team, we can really shoot. I mean, seven for 20 is a bad night for us from three. And I've had some teams that shot 35 percent, I was the happiest guy in the world. We shoot 35 percent from three, it's a bad night from us. Now give them credit. But you can't have everything, Ben. Right? You can't have everything, you know. I tell our guys all the time, you go to the best school in the world, and the best neighborhood in the world, with the best basketball tradition of all time. It's 80 degrees out there. There are people at the beach. It is what it is. Weโve got great fans. Our students are great. I mean, sure, it would be great to have every game sold out, but we're not in the truck stop โ Bill Walton.โ
ย
UCLA senior Donovan Dentย
on what went into his display tonightย
โIโm having a blast. The reason I was shooting so many threes, they were just giving them to me. I was just sitting back, taking my time and shooting the shot.โย
ย
on the duel between himself and Chad Baker-Mazaraย
โIf Iโm having a great night and heโs having a great night, itโs fine. I just feel like my teammates around me are gonna have it even better than his teammates tonight. Thatโs just kind of my mindset with it. I donโt really try to go back and forth with it.โย
ย
on playing against USC and experiencing this crosstown rivalryย
โItโs a blast. The students are in here an hour before the game, giving us energy. Those are the types of games you want to play in college. Thatโs a fun atmosphere. Hopefully we have that for more games coming up, against Nebraska and all that. Itโs just a great atmosphere, itโs just a lot of fun to be a part of.โย
ย
on how he feels stepping up a level this late in the seasonย
โIโm hoping this groove continues. I was struggling early in the season. So for me, being in a groove right now, I feel like it would be huge for our team and huge for myself.โย
ย
on the crowd and fan support tonight
โWhen you have that type of energy and you come out and hit some shots early, it just feeds into everything. You just see the rim at a different size, at that point. Everything was just flowing for me, and I was just feeling good.โ
ย
on his confidence and how he feels after this hot streak
โI just feel proud, and you need to feel proud of yourself. All your hard work in the gym, all the hours, and to see how itโs done. For me to get into a groove like this, itโs what you work out for, what you practice for, and what you do everything for. It just feels amazing and you want to keep going.โ
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on Donovan Dentโs production and efficiency over the past two gamesย
โHeโs just doing his job. Heโs doing his thing, and Iโm very proud for him. Heโs going to find me, and I always trust him that heโs going to find me when Iโm open. Today, it was his night, and I just had to lock down the defensive end and let him go to work.โย
ย
on if the recent adversity has brought the team together
โI would say for sure and how you look at adversity can go one or two ways. You can either fold or you can push through it and come out stronger. I feel like right now weโve grown closer as a team and we have a great bond right now. Coach is also motivating us and we got two down and three to go.โ
ย
on his conversation with Coach Cronin during the game
โHaving that one year under my belt and just going through what I went through has helped, and especially with him. Iโm just grateful that we have the relationship that we have. We could go back and forth now, talk basketball, talk about what I did wrong, and all those types of things. Itโs something that a player dreams of having that type of relationship with their coach and especially with Coach Cronin.โ
ย
USC head coach Eric Musselman
on the teamโs confidence to make this yearโs NCAA Tournament
โWe are on the outside looking in. We have to figure out a way to win a game. We have three opportunities left. We just havenโt played good basketball in the last four games. The Northwestern loss and the Oregon loss are going to hurt us for sure.โ
ย
on keeping Alijah Arenasโ confidence up, moving forward
โHe just canโt turn the ball over. He has awesome ceiling and an incredible future. He is learning on the fly, so itโs a process. He missed the whole summer and the entire non-conference schedule.โ
ย
on the UCLA-USC rivalry
โNo doubt the rivalry is understood, especially with the guys who were here last year. Itโs an awesome crowd and an awesome student section.โ
ย
on USC struggling to shoot at a higher percentage
โNot having Rodney Rice is killing us. Take any twenty-point scorer off any team and you tell me what would happen. Take [Donovan] Dent off their [UCLAโs] team and tell me what happens.โ
ย
on the UCLA-USC contest at Galen Center on March 7
โIโm not thinking about UCLA. My mind is on Nebraska.โ
ย
UCLA 81, USC 62
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
February 24, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coachย
opening statement
โTook us a while to pull away. Theyโre a very athletic team. Obviously, [Chad] Baker-Mazara is a potent offensive player that can turn your lights out. But, proud of the guys who got the job done, this late in the year. Guys are just trying to win and stay healthy. Iโm well aware you guys are going to ask about rebounding โ as I tell people, you can't be great at everything. We are surely not When we share the ball, we're a very, very high-level offensive team. When we share the ball. That said, tonight, Donny had a great game, got Tyler some balls late. Got some different contributions for 35 deflections. Happy with the win, and nobody got injured, so onwardโ
on how Donovan Dentโs performances in the last two games affects team performance
โYeah, he was five for six from three. You know, when you guys came to practice this summer, thatโs the guy you saw. I tell Josh Lewin, Iโm not sure how much you hear my pregame, but nobody is going anywhere in March without their best players playing well. Nobody. I mean, you can go to the NBA, I mean, especially in hoops. Because like in football or baseball, you can just win one to nothing. Somebody won the Super Bowl, six to nothing, didnโt they? Trent Dilfer was the quarterback. But in hoops, you can't do that. High-level team, high-level team, so with your best players, obviously Donny being one of ours, has a playbook. Eric couldn't get it going tonight. It was not a good night for Eric. But Eric's a great player, so we didn't need it tonight because Donovan stepped up. I would tell out of the guys that are starting, it can't just be Tyler Bilodeau and pray for rain. Itโs an old baseball term โ I looked that up. Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain. Look that up.โ
on working with Donovan Dent on his shot
โJust simple things. I mean, not to get too technical with you, but just trying to, itโs basically trying to get his hips back, his shoulders, over his hands. Bob Huggins, I know this might seem crazy, as he was known as such a tough coach, but he was an elite teacher of shooting of the basketball as a player. And I was fortunate, obviously, I worked for him for five years. He was an elite teacher of shooting. Your head must stay still โ so, if your head goes back, the anatomy lesson, then your body follows. So on and so forth โฆ Donny has some problems with his head going back. So, shoutout to Coach Huggins. People would never know, unless you work for him.โ
on the teamโs defensive effort
โWhat did we end up with, eight steals? Yeah, so look, theyโre second in the country, out of what, 365 teams, in free throws attempted, because they get to the rim. We were trying to stop that as best we could. They still got there some. They only had eight points in the paint at halftime. So, it will be much tougher at the Galen Center. Much tougher. But I told the guys, if you hold teams to 62, itโs hard to lose. Once we stop wasting possessions and taking hard shots, once we executed, found each other, and gave each other some space to operate, we're hard to guard. We were 18 for 31, the second half. We let them hang around, wasting possessions.โ
on how the team has his back
โWe don't even talk about stuff like that. We've got great guys on our team. I've said that all year. We just donโt rebound well. Iโm worried about these guys. They don't need to worry about me, Iโm good. Trust me.โ
on Ezra Ausar not going to the foul line
โI have massive respect for Ausar. I was on my staff about why he wasn't on our portal list. He's just a super tough kid, and he's aggressive. I just love guys that play hard. That guy plays so hard. We didn't put him on the foul line. We got to try to get as many people in there as we could, because he's an elite finisher around the rim. The guys did a really good job on him. But I got massive respect for him, as a result. That kid is a soldier, man. Obviously, I've seen them play a lot. He's, my favorite.โ
on if the team is at their highest point
โI'm glad they feel that way. I would say youโre always as good as your next game. But when you win, your team's going to have a better feeling about themselves. Sometimes you can play well and lose them, and we couldโve lost that game, I still thought it was one of the best comebacks that Iโve been a part of. But, you know, we have a little goal here for the end of the year. Weโve got two down, three to go.โ
on the crowd and the atmosphere in Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday
โYeah, the crowd was awesome. I would say, time of day helped. Would you guys agree with that? See, now that I'm a Southern California guy, and in particular, the west-side, the jam-ups on Sunset, with everybody leaving Santa Monica and works in the beach areas. The later game, I think, helps. This is just my opinion. But you know what? Again, just like our team, we can really shoot. I mean, seven for 20 is a bad night for us from three. And I've had some teams that shot 35 percent, I was the happiest guy in the world. We shoot 35 percent from three, it's a bad night from us. Now give them credit. But you can't have everything, Ben. Right? You can't have everything, you know. I tell our guys all the time, you go to the best school in the world, and the best neighborhood in the world, with the best basketball tradition of all time. It's 80 degrees out there. There are people at the beach. It is what it is. Weโve got great fans. Our students are great. I mean, sure, it would be great to have every game sold out, but we're not in the truck stop โ Bill Walton.โ
ย
UCLA senior Donovan Dentย
on what went into his display tonightย
โIโm having a blast. The reason I was shooting so many threes, they were just giving them to me. I was just sitting back, taking my time and shooting the shot.โย
ย
on the duel between himself and Chad Baker-Mazaraย
โIf Iโm having a great night and heโs having a great night, itโs fine. I just feel like my teammates around me are gonna have it even better than his teammates tonight. Thatโs just kind of my mindset with it. I donโt really try to go back and forth with it.โย
ย
on playing against USC and experiencing this crosstown rivalryย
โItโs a blast. The students are in here an hour before the game, giving us energy. Those are the types of games you want to play in college. Thatโs a fun atmosphere. Hopefully we have that for more games coming up, against Nebraska and all that. Itโs just a great atmosphere, itโs just a lot of fun to be a part of.โย
ย
on how he feels stepping up a level this late in the seasonย
โIโm hoping this groove continues. I was struggling early in the season. So for me, being in a groove right now, I feel like it would be huge for our team and huge for myself.โย
ย
on the crowd and fan support tonight
โWhen you have that type of energy and you come out and hit some shots early, it just feeds into everything. You just see the rim at a different size, at that point. Everything was just flowing for me, and I was just feeling good.โ
ย
on his confidence and how he feels after this hot streak
โI just feel proud, and you need to feel proud of yourself. All your hard work in the gym, all the hours, and to see how itโs done. For me to get into a groove like this, itโs what you work out for, what you practice for, and what you do everything for. It just feels amazing and you want to keep going.โ
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on Donovan Dentโs production and efficiency over the past two gamesย
โHeโs just doing his job. Heโs doing his thing, and Iโm very proud for him. Heโs going to find me, and I always trust him that heโs going to find me when Iโm open. Today, it was his night, and I just had to lock down the defensive end and let him go to work.โย
ย
on if the recent adversity has brought the team together
โI would say for sure and how you look at adversity can go one or two ways. You can either fold or you can push through it and come out stronger. I feel like right now weโve grown closer as a team and we have a great bond right now. Coach is also motivating us and we got two down and three to go.โ
ย
on his conversation with Coach Cronin during the game
โHaving that one year under my belt and just going through what I went through has helped, and especially with him. Iโm just grateful that we have the relationship that we have. We could go back and forth now, talk basketball, talk about what I did wrong, and all those types of things. Itโs something that a player dreams of having that type of relationship with their coach and especially with Coach Cronin.โ
ย
USC head coach Eric Musselman
on the teamโs confidence to make this yearโs NCAA Tournament
โWe are on the outside looking in. We have to figure out a way to win a game. We have three opportunities left. We just havenโt played good basketball in the last four games. The Northwestern loss and the Oregon loss are going to hurt us for sure.โ
ย
on keeping Alijah Arenasโ confidence up, moving forward
โHe just canโt turn the ball over. He has awesome ceiling and an incredible future. He is learning on the fly, so itโs a process. He missed the whole summer and the entire non-conference schedule.โ
ย
on the UCLA-USC rivalry
โNo doubt the rivalry is understood, especially with the guys who were here last year. Itโs an awesome crowd and an awesome student section.โ
ย
on USC struggling to shoot at a higher percentage
โNot having Rodney Rice is killing us. Take any twenty-point scorer off any team and you tell me what would happen. Take [Donovan] Dent off their [UCLAโs] team and tell me what happens.โ
ย
on the UCLA-USC contest at Galen Center on March 7
โIโm not thinking about UCLA. My mind is on Nebraska.โ
ย