Postgame Quotes -- UCLA vs. Arizona
POSTGAME QUOTES
Arizona 84, UCLA 76
T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 12, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“Arizona was the tougher team down the stretch. That’s where the game was decided; they were more physical. Our defense left a lot to be desired, to say the very least. Hopefully, we’ll watch film and learn a lot about what it takes to beat a great team. But you give up 40 points in the paint and 23 free throws, you’re not beating anybody, let alone a team as good as Arizona. But a lot of that has to do with their talent level, so congratulations to them.
on Arizona’s length becoming an issue down the stretch
“Their length’s always an issue, but in the art of war, you use the other team’s strength against them. You need to pass the ball. We were minus 11 in assist total, so we didn’t get the job done. I didn’t get it across to the team, so that’s my fault. And we had 11 shots blocked – we didn’t pass the ball. When they rotate to block a shot, you need to pass the ball to the open man.”
on what shifted during Arizona’s 15-2 run to take the lead in the second half
“From that point on, they just played harder. They were the more physical team. They played much harder. Our defense broke down; we gave up back doors. When you’re playing great teams, it just becomes a test of two wills. And as hard as it is for me to swallow – because I’ve made a career of never losing because of that. If my teams have gone down, it’s because the other team’s just got better players. And they may, but I like my team. I wouldn’t trade them, but they were the tougher team. That’s hard for me to say, but that’s the truth. I told out guys in the locker room, ‘The only way we’re going to learn from this is if we can look in the mirror and admit what happened from that run.’. We have to admit it. Last year, we were the tougher team in March for a lot of games and that’s why we went where we went. If we learn that lesson, then today will be worth it. But they taught us that lesson today.”
on takeaways from crowd environment with Arizona fans
“I have no takeaway. Don’t care. Couldn’t care less. Again, if you need a crowd to win games, you’re not going anywhere. You have no chance. No chance. If you’re not tough enough to deal with whatever the environment is, you’re not going to get anywhere as a team. That should never be a factor.”
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on Arizona’s size
“Like you said, they are big. Two seven-footers, that’s tough to go against. I didn't pass it out as I should have. There are a couple times I went up and got blocked, I should have passed it out. I think when I did do that though, we got some open clean looks, but you know, we have to deal with it.”
senior guard Jules Bernard
on what went wrong with the team’s defense
“I think it may have been a snowball effect. We started out the half, I believe, with two backdoors, one of them on me, and someone else. Regardless, I feel like their energy on both ends was better than ours, and it showed especially on the defensive end. I feel like they made their cuts hard, they ran their offense hard. I just feel like we may have been a little lackluster down the stretch it showed. They got a lot of easy, easy, buckets at the rim, and when you're trying to make a run, that's demoralizing.”
Arizona 84, UCLA 76
T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nev.)
March 12, 2022
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
opening remarks
“Arizona was the tougher team down the stretch. That’s where the game was decided; they were more physical. Our defense left a lot to be desired, to say the very least. Hopefully, we’ll watch film and learn a lot about what it takes to beat a great team. But you give up 40 points in the paint and 23 free throws, you’re not beating anybody, let alone a team as good as Arizona. But a lot of that has to do with their talent level, so congratulations to them.
on Arizona’s length becoming an issue down the stretch
“Their length’s always an issue, but in the art of war, you use the other team’s strength against them. You need to pass the ball. We were minus 11 in assist total, so we didn’t get the job done. I didn’t get it across to the team, so that’s my fault. And we had 11 shots blocked – we didn’t pass the ball. When they rotate to block a shot, you need to pass the ball to the open man.”
on what shifted during Arizona’s 15-2 run to take the lead in the second half
“From that point on, they just played harder. They were the more physical team. They played much harder. Our defense broke down; we gave up back doors. When you’re playing great teams, it just becomes a test of two wills. And as hard as it is for me to swallow – because I’ve made a career of never losing because of that. If my teams have gone down, it’s because the other team’s just got better players. And they may, but I like my team. I wouldn’t trade them, but they were the tougher team. That’s hard for me to say, but that’s the truth. I told out guys in the locker room, ‘The only way we’re going to learn from this is if we can look in the mirror and admit what happened from that run.’. We have to admit it. Last year, we were the tougher team in March for a lot of games and that’s why we went where we went. If we learn that lesson, then today will be worth it. But they taught us that lesson today.”
on takeaways from crowd environment with Arizona fans
“I have no takeaway. Don’t care. Couldn’t care less. Again, if you need a crowd to win games, you’re not going anywhere. You have no chance. No chance. If you’re not tough enough to deal with whatever the environment is, you’re not going to get anywhere as a team. That should never be a factor.”
junior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on Arizona’s size
“Like you said, they are big. Two seven-footers, that’s tough to go against. I didn't pass it out as I should have. There are a couple times I went up and got blocked, I should have passed it out. I think when I did do that though, we got some open clean looks, but you know, we have to deal with it.”
senior guard Jules Bernard
on what went wrong with the team’s defense
“I think it may have been a snowball effect. We started out the half, I believe, with two backdoors, one of them on me, and someone else. Regardless, I feel like their energy on both ends was better than ours, and it showed especially on the defensive end. I feel like they made their cuts hard, they ran their offense hard. I just feel like we may have been a little lackluster down the stretch it showed. They got a lot of easy, easy, buckets at the rim, and when you're trying to make a run, that's demoralizing.”