NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: First Four Thursday, March 18, 2021 West Lafayette, Indiana, USA Mackey Arena UCLA Bruins Coach Mick Cronin team what does it tell you about your guys the way they came down by 14 and down again in the last Postgame Media Conference couple of minutes to tie it and win it in overtime? COACH CRONIN: Well, you know that's Bruin basketball now. For me, it used to be Bearcat basketball. I just told UCLA - 86, Michigan State - 80 (OT) the team we won the game on offensive rebound. We tied the game on an offensive rebound, got the loose ball, THE MODERATOR: Coach, an opening statement. tipped it, got it, got an and-one to tie the game. That's the type of stuff that are hallmarks of winning programs. Tom COACH CRONIN: Well, obviously happy with our guys. Izzo's team's been doing those things for a long time. We've been through a tough year with injuries and losing guys and then recently struggled to close some games out So in our quest to build our culture and our toughness, for and -- despite playing well at times. me it was really fitting that we won that way and we had to come back. But it just shows you, these games are never So the players really needed this. So I'm really, really over. Anybody can win these games. They're neutral happy for the guys. They've been battling hard and really sites. Everybody is in quarantine. concerned with their confidence being shook after what we've gone through in the last few weeks. Pac-12 The kids playing in this tournament, I mean all these teams obviously didn't help us, making us go to Oregon in our last are playing out of their minds. And I can promise you it's week, put us on a three-game road trip. Lost Johnny for not the same for the kids. the USC game. And then Oregon State got on a roll, and we missed free throws and lost that one. So our Q. I saw you share a moment with your dad after the confidence was definitely shaken. game. What did it mean to you to have that moment? What did he have to say to you? We were trying, as a coaching staff, make sure we pumped them up as much as we could getting ready for tonight. COACH CRONIN: It's good to see him. He's getting old. But Michigan State came out playing well. Their offensive I'm teasing -- I talk to him every day. I wake up and as I'm execution in the first half was as good as I've seen them. heading down Sepulveda I call him, ask him how the Their shooting, their passing. They pretty much got weather is in Cincinnati. I explain to him the sun is coming whatever they wanted against us. over the Santa Monica Mountains. I put my sunglasses on. I mess with him every day. I have not seen my dad since We huddled up at halftime as a coaching staff and tried to our Arizona State win last year at the end of February. turn up the heat defensively in the second half and tried to COVID hit, he canceled his flight to Vegas. make them uncomfortable as much as we could. The kids responded and I thought our intensity level obviously went Trying to stay safe, not traveling on airplanes. So talking to way up in the second half defensively. somebody every day. It's weird to see him. You've got to remember, this guy, last year -- I know he lives in Got a lot of contributions. Obviously Jaime and Johnny put Cincinnati, but he's flying out every month spending a week the ball in the basket for us. But Jaylen Clark, I thought, with me. So it was great. Now I get to see him again. gave us some big minutes as well. But obviously a great win. And a great game, two storied programs. I've got as Q. You mentioned that confidence has been an issue much respect for Tom Izzo as anybody in the business. So for your team and then you go down 14. You're still big win for us. down big at halftime. How did you guys restore that confidence to a point where you're able to come back Q. The way the last four games have gone for your 105676-1-1045 2021-03-19 05:40:00 GMT Page 1 of 3 and win? which was helpful to us. COACH CRONIN: You know, obviously I coach at a place Q. UCLA is 3-0 here, but they've been decades apart where the best coach ever used to sit in the chair. Coach between games. Obviously Michigan State plays here Wooden said greatness is giving your best effort. He never pretty much every year. Was there a concern this is a talked about winning or losing. I was concerned with our gym they're very familiar with? They've shot here effort in the first half. I didn't talk about -- I really don't talk basically every season in the Big Ten? about winning or losing a lot with these guys. I try to talk to them about their effort. COACH CRONIN: Very much a concern. Also the proximity to Lansing, to travel, everything. But, like I said And trying to build our program and trying to get them to earlier, there's a game, there's a clock and a score. 40 understand there's a difference between effort and winning minutes and it's all at 0. So try to build my program to effort, championship effort. where those things don't matter. Excuses are -- they may be valid, but it didn't give them any extra points. So we talked about our effort. That was really our concern at halftime. You're on this stage against Michigan State, Q. You've obviously coached in a lot of NCAA down the street from not far from Lansing. They haven't Tournament games. Where does Jaime's performance had to travel. We're coming across the country, all the rank among those, and what made tonight so special above. It's not an excuse. There's 40 minutes and you've for him? got to give your best effort. That really was our concern. COACH CRONIN: Well, obviously, first of all, the game Q. How compelling was it that you did this in basically plan, I thought we had a big advantage with him. I thought Wooden's home gym, under his banner, with his sort that Hall and Hauser would struggle to guard him. So of style of play? going in he knew I was coming his way with a lot of stuff. But one thing about Jaime that I knew was important, when COACH CRONIN: I couldn't find the statue the other night I took the job, I knew Jaime had already signed. And I had when we got up here to practice. It was so late. Didn't seen him and made a veiled attempt at recruiting him. start practice until 9:30. Only allowed down ceratin He's way too smart. He was going to -- he wasn't going to hallways. There's people with signs, can't go here, can't go turn down UCLA. there. I understand it all. But I think we're done playing here, so I've got to try to see that statue before I leave. But But I know what the competitor that he is. So none of it -- maybe Coach's luck was with us. Jaime is almost better when we're down. He's got tremendous heart. But I thought he had some favorable I have to text his son, text Jim down in Orange County. matchups and late they put Henry -- what we did -- Coach Hopefully he was watching tonight. Hopefully Coach gave Izzo went smaller and put Aaron Henry on him to try to us some luck, give us some made 3s, made free throws, stop him. but I think we were due for some luck as well. It's been a rough couple of weeks for us. The ball's not bounced our So Johnny got it going as well. But we were going to have way at all. to score some points, guys, because the way they played offensively, to catch them, we were going to have to get But for me it's cool to be the UCLA coach. It's extremely the ball in the basket. cool for me. But to have this win here, with his jersey up there, now that you talk about it, maybe he was looking Q. You've alluded to it in a variety of ways. But to be down on us. down five with 90 seconds left in regulation, to be facing, as you said, someone who you have a lot of Q. I asked (indiscernible) this question. You've played respect for in Coach Izzo, to be on the opening nights in a lot of overtime games this season. Michigan State of this stage that we've been waiting for for two years, didn't play in any. Do you think that created a just when you came to this program, how much did significant advantage for you this evening? you think of a moment like this? And now what's the reward of taking this step in the NCAA Tournament COACH CRONIN: Respectfully, no.