University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes – Michigan 86, UCLA 56
POSTGAME QUOTES
No. 2 Michigan 86, UCLA 56
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
February 14, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on playing well in the first half and what occurred in the second half
“We were awful in the second half – we were god-awful. We missed eight unguarded threes, unguarded. If you are going to come in here, you’ve got to score. That said, we have some guys who won’t pass the ball and that is frustrating. That’s the worst second-half defensive field goal percentage of my career, in 23 years. They were 18 for 23, shot 78 percent, the worst of my career, and I don’t have to look it up – I can promise you that. It’s not like I forgot how to coach defense. Now, they are really good. They’re really good. But I would be really good, too, if I was shooting layups. I’d probably shoot a high percentage, now Yaxel hit a few shots, and he hasn’t shot it well in a while, so give him credit. We missed some wide-open shots. You’ve got to make double-digit threes to beat them.”
on UCLA winning the rebounding battle before that slipped away (30-to-29)
“Yeah, but we were missing every shot. So that is giving them defensive rebounds. We shot 49 percent in the first half. For a while there in the second half, we were three for 19. We ended up seven for 27. We were at like, shooting 16 percent there, for a while. It was as bad an offensive performance, missing wide-open shots, and then just refusal to pass or screen or execute anything that we were doing. Really frustrated with some of the guys on our team, but I have been fighting it all year. It is what it is.”
on if he might address with a lineup change
“I’ve addressed it all year, and it will be addressed with one lineup change, maybe more. It’s not like I have anyone who is a top-10 all-league player on this team right now. For as good as this league is, you’ve got four or five guys who could be the player of the year in the country. So it’s not knocking anyone, it kind of just is what it is. I’m searching for guys who will play for the team, and not for stats. I thought that we took some horrendous, horrendous shots – and our whole game plan was do not take a bad shot. Do not turn the ball over. There was a stretch where we did that, and we looked like a really good team. And then we started taking the bad shots again, and then Donny and Book [Xavier Booker] missed eight unguarded threes, like literally unguarded. You will have to make shots to beat this team. Wisconsin came in here, Nebraska came in here, you’ve got to make double-digit threes.”
on Skyy Clark returning from a hamstring injury
“I’m just happy that he is getting to play. He is tired. We had him on a minutes restriction. We were trying to keep him to 15, so we kept him to 15. He said that he felt good. We’ve just got to try to build on it.”
on going up against Michigan’s frontline and what the plan was to combat that
“You cannot give up layups. This happens to a lot of teams. When we went bad, offensively, we were not tough enough to continue to defend. Or good enough, defensively, to stop them, to keep us in the game to where we could make a shot. We’ve got some conscientious objectors to defense. And some of that is that they are really good. Let’s be honest. We’ve had that problem all year. I watched [Michigan] them beat Gonzaga, where they were up around 40 in the first half. I know what they are capable of. We just could not sustain it.”
on how challenging the game is, against Michigan, when your team isn’t making shots
“They’ve got the best talent in the country. Give them credit. That’s all that I really have to say about them and their team.”
on the Bruins playing well in the first half despite some early foul trouble
“Yeah, Eric got two early and so did Book [Xavier Booker]. Like I said though, when the ball didn’t go in for us, we fell apart. Meaning, we started to take hard shots. We quit playing defense. When they made a few, and it was going to happen, but when they made a few we acted like someone had stole our dog. Our body language, it was what it was, that’s it. They have done it to everybody but one team this year. That doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed. I am upset with some guys who I thought are conscientiously objecting to playing team basketball. I am very frustrated with a few guys. That’s my job to address it and I’ll address it. Welcome to coaching.”
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on the game being a tale of two halves and the Bruins’ struggles in the second half
“We went seven for 27 [second half], and yeah just defense – they had about 80 something points. Just collapsed, to be honest. There’s no other word to explain it. We got 30-pieced in their home gym.”
on the team missing some wide-open shots
“You can’t have another team score 80 points in their home gym. They felt very comfortable. There’s really nothing else to it. They beat us totally in the second half, and we just laid down.”
on guard Skyy Clark and his return from an injury
“It was good just to have my boy back, having him in the rotation. It will be a work in progress for him, just to get his stamina back, and to get his feel for the game back. But I am glad that he’s back with us.”
on going up against former UCLA teammates Aday Mara
“Yeah, it was pretty cool just to see him beforehand. He did what he did against us, and he showed why he is improving at Michigan. All credit to him, to the work that he’s been putting in for the past three years. But we can’t have that happen.”
on the team struggling on offense and if the passing was a problem
“This game, for sure, we went seven for 27. Again, the ball was sticking and we were not really moving it as much. Their defense was switching. So they kept us out on the perimeter, and that kind of played in their favor.”
on if he is favor of UCLA possibly using a three-guard lineup, moving forward
“I just want to be a part of winning. I just want to do whatever it takes to win. Like, I can’t have us being 30-pieced in an away game, you know? We only have each other, and this is not what it’s going take. So whatever it takes for us to win, and to get a nice win under our belts, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”
No. 2 Michigan 86, UCLA 56
Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Center)
February 14, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on playing well in the first half and what occurred in the second half
“We were awful in the second half – we were god-awful. We missed eight unguarded threes, unguarded. If you are going to come in here, you’ve got to score. That said, we have some guys who won’t pass the ball and that is frustrating. That’s the worst second-half defensive field goal percentage of my career, in 23 years. They were 18 for 23, shot 78 percent, the worst of my career, and I don’t have to look it up – I can promise you that. It’s not like I forgot how to coach defense. Now, they are really good. They’re really good. But I would be really good, too, if I was shooting layups. I’d probably shoot a high percentage, now Yaxel hit a few shots, and he hasn’t shot it well in a while, so give him credit. We missed some wide-open shots. You’ve got to make double-digit threes to beat them.”
on UCLA winning the rebounding battle before that slipped away (30-to-29)
“Yeah, but we were missing every shot. So that is giving them defensive rebounds. We shot 49 percent in the first half. For a while there in the second half, we were three for 19. We ended up seven for 27. We were at like, shooting 16 percent there, for a while. It was as bad an offensive performance, missing wide-open shots, and then just refusal to pass or screen or execute anything that we were doing. Really frustrated with some of the guys on our team, but I have been fighting it all year. It is what it is.”
on if he might address with a lineup change
“I’ve addressed it all year, and it will be addressed with one lineup change, maybe more. It’s not like I have anyone who is a top-10 all-league player on this team right now. For as good as this league is, you’ve got four or five guys who could be the player of the year in the country. So it’s not knocking anyone, it kind of just is what it is. I’m searching for guys who will play for the team, and not for stats. I thought that we took some horrendous, horrendous shots – and our whole game plan was do not take a bad shot. Do not turn the ball over. There was a stretch where we did that, and we looked like a really good team. And then we started taking the bad shots again, and then Donny and Book [Xavier Booker] missed eight unguarded threes, like literally unguarded. You will have to make shots to beat this team. Wisconsin came in here, Nebraska came in here, you’ve got to make double-digit threes.”
on Skyy Clark returning from a hamstring injury
“I’m just happy that he is getting to play. He is tired. We had him on a minutes restriction. We were trying to keep him to 15, so we kept him to 15. He said that he felt good. We’ve just got to try to build on it.”
on going up against Michigan’s frontline and what the plan was to combat that
“You cannot give up layups. This happens to a lot of teams. When we went bad, offensively, we were not tough enough to continue to defend. Or good enough, defensively, to stop them, to keep us in the game to where we could make a shot. We’ve got some conscientious objectors to defense. And some of that is that they are really good. Let’s be honest. We’ve had that problem all year. I watched [Michigan] them beat Gonzaga, where they were up around 40 in the first half. I know what they are capable of. We just could not sustain it.”
on how challenging the game is, against Michigan, when your team isn’t making shots
“They’ve got the best talent in the country. Give them credit. That’s all that I really have to say about them and their team.”
on the Bruins playing well in the first half despite some early foul trouble
“Yeah, Eric got two early and so did Book [Xavier Booker]. Like I said though, when the ball didn’t go in for us, we fell apart. Meaning, we started to take hard shots. We quit playing defense. When they made a few, and it was going to happen, but when they made a few we acted like someone had stole our dog. Our body language, it was what it was, that’s it. They have done it to everybody but one team this year. That doesn’t mean I’m not disappointed. I am upset with some guys who I thought are conscientiously objecting to playing team basketball. I am very frustrated with a few guys. That’s my job to address it and I’ll address it. Welcome to coaching.”
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on the game being a tale of two halves and the Bruins’ struggles in the second half
“We went seven for 27 [second half], and yeah just defense – they had about 80 something points. Just collapsed, to be honest. There’s no other word to explain it. We got 30-pieced in their home gym.”
on the team missing some wide-open shots
“You can’t have another team score 80 points in their home gym. They felt very comfortable. There’s really nothing else to it. They beat us totally in the second half, and we just laid down.”
on guard Skyy Clark and his return from an injury
“It was good just to have my boy back, having him in the rotation. It will be a work in progress for him, just to get his stamina back, and to get his feel for the game back. But I am glad that he’s back with us.”
on going up against former UCLA teammates Aday Mara
“Yeah, it was pretty cool just to see him beforehand. He did what he did against us, and he showed why he is improving at Michigan. All credit to him, to the work that he’s been putting in for the past three years. But we can’t have that happen.”
on the team struggling on offense and if the passing was a problem
“This game, for sure, we went seven for 27. Again, the ball was sticking and we were not really moving it as much. Their defense was switching. So they kept us out on the perimeter, and that kind of played in their favor.”
on if he is favor of UCLA possibly using a three-guard lineup, moving forward
“I just want to be a part of winning. I just want to do whatever it takes to win. Like, I can’t have us being 30-pieced in an away game, you know? We only have each other, and this is not what it’s going take. So whatever it takes for us to win, and to get a nice win under our belts, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”