How did Mick Cronin calm the UCLA Bruins down after falling behind by over 20 points to Illinois on Saturday? By reminding his team they’re just playing basketball, that it’s not anything more serious. Cronin of course added a personal twist to his calming efforts.
Mick Cronin reminded UCLA that this isn’t life-or-death
“Nobody’s in Ukraine carrying a rifle, man. It ain’t that. Let’s just play some ball,” Cronin said during the postgame press conference. “The Big Ten is like the NBA. The schedule is going to get you at some point, it just is. Almost everybody. There’s too many good teams.”
Donovan Dent has an iconic moment at Pauley Pavilion
UCLA faltered against some of those good teams but Saturday’s win showed that the Bruins are capable of beating some of those good teams too. It was far from easy but Donovan Dent delivered UCLA the much-needed win by doing his best Tyus Edney impression.
UCLA has a pair of very impressive home wins
The Bruins haven’t fared great against ranked teams but they’ve now beaten No. 4 Purdue and No. 10 Illinois, showing that UCLA isn’t completely overmatched against the country’s best teams.
The schedule was certainly a challenge
“The schedule got us but I thought it knocked our confidence out,” Cronin said of his team. “It looked like that early in the game.”
Has the momentum shifted for the Bruins?
Saturday’s win halted an avalanche of bad vibes for the Bruins. Even with the team’s struggles, UCLA is 6-3 over their past nine games. The win sets up a very intriguing matchup against the USC Trojans on Tuesday, as the Bruins look to strengthen their NCAA tournament chances against their rivals while maintaining their confidence they found against Illinois.
“We came together. Last night, this whole week, we’ve just been together as a team,” Dent said postgame. “The outside noise, everyone can speak, whatever. It’s all about what’s going on in the locker room, and in the locker room, I think we’re at our highest point together as a team.”
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Nobody’s in Ukraine: Mick Cronin gave UCLA team a timely reminder
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
