University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
March 3, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
โNebraska has got a great team. This is the best weโve played all year and they brought out the best in us. We went from our worst defensive effort to our best defensive effort. What Coach Hoiberg has done with this group is unbelievable and they out hustle everybody they play, but tonight they didnโt and thatโs why we won. They tried to because they have unbelievable effort and attitude and Iโm so impressed with them, but give credit to our guys tonight because they were selfless and we played with toughness.โ
on his teamโs third top-10 win at home
โSince Iโve been here we don't lose much at home. If they had called a travel in the overtime game against Indiana when we were up two with 20 seconds left, and the guy took three steps. Weโd be undefeated right? The answer I told our guys after we had a heart to heart is I said โLook guys here's the team, and their record is what it is because of their attitude and effort and their commitment to doing the hard things.โ I am so impressed with them tonight, we were great. If we would just have this attitude then we would have Nebraskaโs record.โ
on Eric Freenyโs bench performance and effort
โItโs his toughness and I'm a big believer in it. That's why I signed him.โ
on Eric Freenyโs lack of playing time against Minnesota
โYou know I apologized to Eric (Freeney), Steven (Jamerson II) and Brandon (Williams) in our film session that they should have played more. My excuse was we were scoring and we were winning, and the game was slow and nobody was tired. Our defense was so bad in spite of our shot making, so I should have gotten some guys out and definitely Eric Freeny should have gotten in. You play defense or you come out. If you're not about it then nobody is going to believe you. So, I just apologize to those guys for not getting them in there during the Minnesota game.โ
on predicting how the team will perform and how practice was this week
โI havenโt been able to predict it with this team if Iโm being honest with you. We had one practice this week since we were playing in the Midwest, so we got back late Saturday night. On Sunday we watched film and had a heart to heart about what the problem is and has been all year. We only had one practice and then we had a shoot around today, so our guys did a great job with Rod Palmer and the scout. The guys were locked in and when you play a guy like (Pryce) Sandfort whoโs been unbelievable and only hold him to nine points is impressive.โ
on the improved ball movement this season
โWe have the offensive talent and when we share the ball we are hard to defend. Nebraska is the fifth best team metrically in the country defensively, so weโre hard to defend when we execute and share the ball and have proper space.โ
on Eric Dailey Jrโs performance and attitude
โEric had six deflections and eight rebounds, and thatโs all I care about. Everybody else cares just about his points. His defense, rebounding, and his toughness are most important and we give him a chance to play beyond here.โ
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on the boost Eric Freeny gives the team
โHaving four offensive rebounds as a guard and being the offensive leading rebounder for this team and only having four pointsโฆ thatโs a game changer. We needed all those rebounds tonight and the defensive effort. Chasing (Pryce) Sandfort isnโt an easy job.โ
on the energy going into tonightโs game
โHappy for our seniors as a group. We didnโt want our seniors to lose their last game in Pauley. For me personally as well, I feel like I let my team down last game in Minnesota. Faced a different type of adversity, not just on the court but off the court. Getting a lot of hate comments, threats, all the type of stuff. I just felt like I had to come out here tonight and bounce back for my team. Play for something thatโs bigger than myself.โ
on the hate comments he received after last game and how he handled it
โItโs something Iโve never faced in my career. Iโve had Eric Dailey Jr. to help me out. I told him, even though youโre not supposed to listen to the comments, itโs there. Just having those types of threats on my Instagram and on Twitter, it kind of opened my eyes a little bit. Iโm playing for something bigger than myself at the end of the day. Iโm playing for my team, playing for my coaches, playing for this program. Iโm not playing for anyone on social media thatโs going to DM me after a bad game. Itโs always going to happen, and Iโm just fortunate enough to have these guys who have my back.โ
on Skyy Clark rejoining the starting lineup and his impact on offense
โItโs great. You see how the ball is moving. Dribble drive, drive and kick, just creating gaps for driving lanes. Of course with Eric (Dailey Jr.) and Tyler (Bilodeau) stretching out the floor, itโs amazing. Especially with Book (Xavier Booker) coming back in, heโs also a threat on the 3-point line, so itโs been great so far, just having another scoring threat available for us.โ
on how the teamโs ball movement has evolved over the course of the season
โYou kind of see tonight. Nebraska, theyโre a heavy-help team, heavy-gap team. Based off of our game plan, we had open driving lanes and open 3s. Just having those dribble drives once again and having everybody else stretch the floor out. It was amazing.โ
UCLA junior Eric Dailey Jr.
on the boost redshirt freshman Eric Freeny gives the team
โHis toughness. Thatโs a tough guy right here. Very tough. To get hit in the face with the ball (against USC) and not flinch. Like, come on. Thatโs a tough guy. He brings that every day in practice. What weโre seeing is what he does every day. He works hard, heโs in the gym early. All the work that heโs done in the dark is coming to the light. Heโs been a great impact player for us in the minutes that heโs been getting. Heโs been going hard, and thatโs what we appreciate about him.โ
on being successful at Pauley and how to take that into away games
โI think we just have to take the attitude that we played with tonight and bottle it up and keep it rolling. Itโs the end of the season, and weโve been having the same problem that coach has been saying. But tonight, this team looked different. The way we played tonight, we keep that same energy and attitude, the plays and the hustle, weโll be fine down the stretch.โ
on the differences between playing on the road and at home
โYou want to thank our fans while weโre at home. Itโs good to have a crowd thatโs on our side. Obviously, on the road, itโs a little tougher to travel. But you canโt make excuses on the road. We have to still win ball games, and thatโs been difficult for us this year. But with that being said, weโve got so much left. We have so many games left. The season is not over with. So, weโve got to keep going with this mindset. Weโre only as good as our last game, and this is the last game we played, so weโll keep this going.โ
on the feeling going from a big loss to a big win
โItโs all about response. Itโs all about how you respond when you get knocked down. Thatโs what lifeโs about, too. You get punched, you just canโt quit. Youโve got to keep fighting regardless of whatโs going on. This team has been really resilient this year, so I love the fire that we played with tonight. Just have to keep this going.โ
UCLA redshirt freshman Eric Freeny
on getting hit in the face with the ball against USC
โIt happens. In practice, so Iโm kind of used to it. Itโs how it is all the time in practice, so โฆ get hit with the ball, youโve got to keep playing. Itโs part of the sport. Itโs part of what happens. Iโm super competitive, so just have to forget about it and win the ball game.โ
on what last year did for his development
โ[It was] great. I just have to keep on working. No ceiling, just have to keep on going. Thatโs it. Thatโs what itโs going to take.โ
on what kept him going with low playing time
โIโll say just effort. Literally just effort, thatโs all it really takes, I feel like. Thatโs what it takes to win, thatโs what itโs going to take, especially in March. Itโs our last home game, so thatโs all it takes, honestly. Itโs who wants it. Thatโs all itโs going to take. Got to keep on going.โ
on what it meant to have head coach Mick Cronin apologize to for not playing more minutes against Minnesota
โYeah. Took it good. Coach is always looking out for [me], doing whatโs best for me. Just trying to push me to my max. Iโve got to keep on going. Heโs going to push me every day, but I have to love it, though. Thatโs the biggest thing.โ
Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg
on what changed for the Huskers during the game
โI donโt know that it was ever close. They came out and threw the first punch, and they kept swinging, and we did not respond well to it. Give UCLA credit for the way that they came out and applied pressure. We had a little stretch there in the second half but missed two front ends (of the one-and-one). Sam (Hoiberg) missed two, we lost six points on the board. We had an uncontested layup in transition. You just canโt get those back. That could have been a six-point game, and we might have at least had a fighting chance. But we just did not respond to anything that UCLA did to us tonight, really for the first time all year. The teamโs been unbelievable with their approach, with the way they got up and handled to adversity. But we did not do that well today. But again, the credit goes to UCLA.โ
on the teamโs biggest concern after today
โThe biggest thing is how weโre going to respond. Thatโs the only thing that matters right now. Weโre going to flush this one away and watch film tomorrow and do our stations and do our walk-through because we have to take Thursday off, which is ridiculous with the travel schedule. They need to change that rule. It is what it is, so weโll get back and get to work right away, which is probably a good thing to get in there and watch film and then we can move on to Iowa.โ
on what an ideal response would be
โThey respond well. Thatโs one thing โ I look at our guys, and theyโve been unbelievable in their preparation and the way they move past emotional wins and move past a couple of tough losses, and Iโm confident they will do that again.โ
on the teamโs slow start
โWe just have to get better in that area.โ
on the difference in playing USC versus playing UCLA tonight
โWe are fifth in defensive efficiency, so weโd been really good on that end all season long. We missed a couple of closeouts and some defensive assignments โ things we did exceptionally well all season long, but give credit to UCLA. They played a lot harder than we did tonight.โ
on takeaways from this loss
โWeโre going to have to learn from it. After every game we do the same preparation going into the next one after we learn and put the game behind us whether we win or lose. The same routine after every game. So, weโll get in there tomorrow and watch film like we always do. Weโll put the game plan in against Iowa and move on with a couple of days of practice on Friday and Saturday.โ
UCLA 72, Nebraska 52
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial)
March 3, 2026
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Menโs Head Basketball Coach
opening statement
โNebraska has got a great team. This is the best weโve played all year and they brought out the best in us. We went from our worst defensive effort to our best defensive effort. What Coach Hoiberg has done with this group is unbelievable and they out hustle everybody they play, but tonight they didnโt and thatโs why we won. They tried to because they have unbelievable effort and attitude and Iโm so impressed with them, but give credit to our guys tonight because they were selfless and we played with toughness.โ
on his teamโs third top-10 win at home
โSince Iโve been here we don't lose much at home. If they had called a travel in the overtime game against Indiana when we were up two with 20 seconds left, and the guy took three steps. Weโd be undefeated right? The answer I told our guys after we had a heart to heart is I said โLook guys here's the team, and their record is what it is because of their attitude and effort and their commitment to doing the hard things.โ I am so impressed with them tonight, we were great. If we would just have this attitude then we would have Nebraskaโs record.โ
on Eric Freenyโs bench performance and effort
โItโs his toughness and I'm a big believer in it. That's why I signed him.โ
on Eric Freenyโs lack of playing time against Minnesota
โYou know I apologized to Eric (Freeney), Steven (Jamerson II) and Brandon (Williams) in our film session that they should have played more. My excuse was we were scoring and we were winning, and the game was slow and nobody was tired. Our defense was so bad in spite of our shot making, so I should have gotten some guys out and definitely Eric Freeny should have gotten in. You play defense or you come out. If you're not about it then nobody is going to believe you. So, I just apologize to those guys for not getting them in there during the Minnesota game.โ
on predicting how the team will perform and how practice was this week
โI havenโt been able to predict it with this team if Iโm being honest with you. We had one practice this week since we were playing in the Midwest, so we got back late Saturday night. On Sunday we watched film and had a heart to heart about what the problem is and has been all year. We only had one practice and then we had a shoot around today, so our guys did a great job with Rod Palmer and the scout. The guys were locked in and when you play a guy like (Pryce) Sandfort whoโs been unbelievable and only hold him to nine points is impressive.โ
on the improved ball movement this season
โWe have the offensive talent and when we share the ball we are hard to defend. Nebraska is the fifth best team metrically in the country defensively, so weโre hard to defend when we execute and share the ball and have proper space.โ
on Eric Dailey Jrโs performance and attitude
โEric had six deflections and eight rebounds, and thatโs all I care about. Everybody else cares just about his points. His defense, rebounding, and his toughness are most important and we give him a chance to play beyond here.โ
UCLA sophomore Trent Perry
on the boost Eric Freeny gives the team
โHaving four offensive rebounds as a guard and being the offensive leading rebounder for this team and only having four pointsโฆ thatโs a game changer. We needed all those rebounds tonight and the defensive effort. Chasing (Pryce) Sandfort isnโt an easy job.โ
on the energy going into tonightโs game
โHappy for our seniors as a group. We didnโt want our seniors to lose their last game in Pauley. For me personally as well, I feel like I let my team down last game in Minnesota. Faced a different type of adversity, not just on the court but off the court. Getting a lot of hate comments, threats, all the type of stuff. I just felt like I had to come out here tonight and bounce back for my team. Play for something thatโs bigger than myself.โ
on the hate comments he received after last game and how he handled it
โItโs something Iโve never faced in my career. Iโve had Eric Dailey Jr. to help me out. I told him, even though youโre not supposed to listen to the comments, itโs there. Just having those types of threats on my Instagram and on Twitter, it kind of opened my eyes a little bit. Iโm playing for something bigger than myself at the end of the day. Iโm playing for my team, playing for my coaches, playing for this program. Iโm not playing for anyone on social media thatโs going to DM me after a bad game. Itโs always going to happen, and Iโm just fortunate enough to have these guys who have my back.โ
on Skyy Clark rejoining the starting lineup and his impact on offense
โItโs great. You see how the ball is moving. Dribble drive, drive and kick, just creating gaps for driving lanes. Of course with Eric (Dailey Jr.) and Tyler (Bilodeau) stretching out the floor, itโs amazing. Especially with Book (Xavier Booker) coming back in, heโs also a threat on the 3-point line, so itโs been great so far, just having another scoring threat available for us.โ
on how the teamโs ball movement has evolved over the course of the season
โYou kind of see tonight. Nebraska, theyโre a heavy-help team, heavy-gap team. Based off of our game plan, we had open driving lanes and open 3s. Just having those dribble drives once again and having everybody else stretch the floor out. It was amazing.โ
UCLA junior Eric Dailey Jr.
on the boost redshirt freshman Eric Freeny gives the team
โHis toughness. Thatโs a tough guy right here. Very tough. To get hit in the face with the ball (against USC) and not flinch. Like, come on. Thatโs a tough guy. He brings that every day in practice. What weโre seeing is what he does every day. He works hard, heโs in the gym early. All the work that heโs done in the dark is coming to the light. Heโs been a great impact player for us in the minutes that heโs been getting. Heโs been going hard, and thatโs what we appreciate about him.โ
on being successful at Pauley and how to take that into away games
โI think we just have to take the attitude that we played with tonight and bottle it up and keep it rolling. Itโs the end of the season, and weโve been having the same problem that coach has been saying. But tonight, this team looked different. The way we played tonight, we keep that same energy and attitude, the plays and the hustle, weโll be fine down the stretch.โ
on the differences between playing on the road and at home
โYou want to thank our fans while weโre at home. Itโs good to have a crowd thatโs on our side. Obviously, on the road, itโs a little tougher to travel. But you canโt make excuses on the road. We have to still win ball games, and thatโs been difficult for us this year. But with that being said, weโve got so much left. We have so many games left. The season is not over with. So, weโve got to keep going with this mindset. Weโre only as good as our last game, and this is the last game we played, so weโll keep this going.โ
on the feeling going from a big loss to a big win
โItโs all about response. Itโs all about how you respond when you get knocked down. Thatโs what lifeโs about, too. You get punched, you just canโt quit. Youโve got to keep fighting regardless of whatโs going on. This team has been really resilient this year, so I love the fire that we played with tonight. Just have to keep this going.โ
UCLA redshirt freshman Eric Freeny
on getting hit in the face with the ball against USC
โIt happens. In practice, so Iโm kind of used to it. Itโs how it is all the time in practice, so โฆ get hit with the ball, youโve got to keep playing. Itโs part of the sport. Itโs part of what happens. Iโm super competitive, so just have to forget about it and win the ball game.โ
on what last year did for his development
โ[It was] great. I just have to keep on working. No ceiling, just have to keep on going. Thatโs it. Thatโs what itโs going to take.โ
on what kept him going with low playing time
โIโll say just effort. Literally just effort, thatโs all it really takes, I feel like. Thatโs what it takes to win, thatโs what itโs going to take, especially in March. Itโs our last home game, so thatโs all it takes, honestly. Itโs who wants it. Thatโs all itโs going to take. Got to keep on going.โ
on what it meant to have head coach Mick Cronin apologize to for not playing more minutes against Minnesota
โYeah. Took it good. Coach is always looking out for [me], doing whatโs best for me. Just trying to push me to my max. Iโve got to keep on going. Heโs going to push me every day, but I have to love it, though. Thatโs the biggest thing.โ
Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg
on what changed for the Huskers during the game
โI donโt know that it was ever close. They came out and threw the first punch, and they kept swinging, and we did not respond well to it. Give UCLA credit for the way that they came out and applied pressure. We had a little stretch there in the second half but missed two front ends (of the one-and-one). Sam (Hoiberg) missed two, we lost six points on the board. We had an uncontested layup in transition. You just canโt get those back. That could have been a six-point game, and we might have at least had a fighting chance. But we just did not respond to anything that UCLA did to us tonight, really for the first time all year. The teamโs been unbelievable with their approach, with the way they got up and handled to adversity. But we did not do that well today. But again, the credit goes to UCLA.โ
on the teamโs biggest concern after today
โThe biggest thing is how weโre going to respond. Thatโs the only thing that matters right now. Weโre going to flush this one away and watch film tomorrow and do our stations and do our walk-through because we have to take Thursday off, which is ridiculous with the travel schedule. They need to change that rule. It is what it is, so weโll get back and get to work right away, which is probably a good thing to get in there and watch film and then we can move on to Iowa.โ
on what an ideal response would be
โThey respond well. Thatโs one thing โ I look at our guys, and theyโve been unbelievable in their preparation and the way they move past emotional wins and move past a couple of tough losses, and Iโm confident they will do that again.โ
on the teamโs slow start
โWe just have to get better in that area.โ
on the difference in playing USC versus playing UCLA tonight
โWe are fifth in defensive efficiency, so weโd been really good on that end all season long. We missed a couple of closeouts and some defensive assignments โ things we did exceptionally well all season long, but give credit to UCLA. They played a lot harder than we did tonight.โ
on takeaways from this loss
โWeโre going to have to learn from it. After every game we do the same preparation going into the next one after we learn and put the game behind us whether we win or lose. The same routine after every game. So, weโll get in there tomorrow and watch film like we always do. Weโll put the game plan in against Iowa and move on with a couple of days of practice on Friday and Saturday.โ