Thanks for the write up. Didn’t get to watch but it’s always good to see ucla doesn’t give up… I will say that cronin is pretty good at not having his teams give up
Baskets......there are several good replays of the game available. I know you love offense. Run through the first half until the score is 33 to 10, then watch the rest of it. You will be frustrated with our inability to block the Illini off the boards (offensive rebounds and putbacks were killing us), but it will be a revelation to you, both as to the mental toughness this team has developed (they could have folded like a cheap suit a number of times), and as to what this team is capable of offensively.....it's pretty entertaining.
The preseason AP #12-ranked team in the country showed up with heart and fortitude when they needed it most after such a brutal week. I think Dent's winning drive may have been a tougher one to navigate than Edney's full-court winner. Pretty exciting final play to watch, with Dent taking advantage of the screen by Bilodeau at midcourt and blowing past four of the Illini trees along the way to make the layup. Great play drawn up by HC Cronin, as the Bruins seemed determined to either get a bucket or maybe draw a foul call. I needed to get a drink after that game... :-)
Once again, I am taking credit for the win, because I told Joe that I’m at a wedding (still am!) and that there probably wouldn’t be need for a postgame.
Didn’t realize it at the time, but Cronin dropped the ball at the end. Pretty sure we still had a timeout to burn and Cronin could have called it around 6 seconds to draw up a new play when Biladeau didn’t come up to set the screen early enough. Missed opportunity.
I thought subbing in b Williams for booker at the end of OT may have also been a mistake, but it all worked out in the end. Maybe his size could've prevented the offensive rebound and putback
Not sure Booker would have gotten the rebound if he was yanked out bounds like Williams. It was subtle but Illinois player yanks his arm as Williams was getting ready to rebound.
I think HC Cronin was very fortunate to have 2 final-possession opportunities to win the game, as buzzer-beating shots seem to have a tendency to favor the opponents more often than not.
The second final possession was the result of an Illinois brain-fart. They could’ve held for the last possession of OT but ran their offense way too early
And it's also obviously not the players' fault for not having aptitude or failing to follow his instructions after going over it 10 times on video---I mean 5 times... ;-)
Evidently there were at least 2 "players only" meetings held last week prompted by Skyy, with ED, Bilo, Dent and Trent in support and making sure all attended.
In my athletic career, I had two teams (seasons) where "players only" meetings were called, one was a revolt against our coach/staff for a variety of reasons; the other was in support our coach because he was catching heat for our record and we took accountability for putting him in a bad spot. In both situations, those meetings unified our team despite their differing motivations; both resulted in strong finishes to those seasons, with one of them resulting in a playoff run. Taking ownership of our individual play, our love for the game and our respective commitments to “the guys in the room” changed the directions of those teams.
Let’s hope that no matter the reasons for the basketball team's meetings, that the bond forged therein, turned this collection of transfers with some talent into that steele-willed unit that refused to let past blowouts, bad press, coaching controversies or a 23-point deficit to the 10th ranked team in the country bury them. I'm looking forward to more consistent efforts like the one I saw tonight over the last 30 minutes of that 40 minute contest.
I think the issue for some folks is HC Cronin is the one driving the bandwagon---I think I'll sit behind on the very last cart and jump off when the lead cart runs off a cliff. Still enough room for me, Ms. Tamara, and anyone else... :-)
We have a good chance to finish the season on a 5 game winning streak, but need to beat SC on Tuesday first! 3 of the 4 games are winnable games, with a hard one vs Nebraska (!) at Pauley in there
To me that was just "battered bruin syndrome" / anti Cronin hate. I had expected 2 losses on the road vs the Michigan teams so I didnt think those were end of the world losses. (Though the Jamerson situation was definitely a bad look)
I agree, BBS and anti-Cronin fever are widespread and highly contagious this season (worse than the flu and measles), but I think it's just the way that they lost and the HC antics that made things much worse for the team and the school on that forgettable trip.
Illinois fans were PISSED on Twitter after the game. Underwood is getting a lot of heat because they played terrible defense on that last play even though they were coming out of two timeouts and they also gave up a 23 point lead. Just goes to show, need to play the whole game through no matter how good or bad it’s going!
Yep, the Illini haven't been inconsistent like the Bruins this season, but their frustrations are high over their inabilty to put away teams lately. The bad defense allowed quickness to kill them in dramatic fashion on the final play. Funny thing is DD (Dent, not Dimitri) claimed that he hadn't seen Edney's coast-to-coast game-winner before, and it looks like HC Underwood and his players hadn't either. I think the $3M man may have given his NBA dream a nice little boost after his career-high, 15-assist performance and thrilling game-winner (Note: I am NOT saying he's going to be drafted--he needs to be a much better shooter!).
Also a great call by announcer Tim Brando on the Fox TV broadcast ("Tyus Edney revisited!"). Interesting to hear from the man himself on how that one shot came about and will never be forgotten:
Extending the defense and still letting Dent catch the ball with uncontested with momentum is coaching malpractice. Either pressure hard or fall back into a legit half court defense.
Yeah, not that I really care, but I'm sure HC Underwood provided some thoughts on how he called the final play and what went wrong for them. Maybe the need to avoid risking committing a foul got stuck in their heads. Anyway, I think they actually blew the game not on the final play, but in the 1st half when they were high-fiving each other to build the huge lead and then lost their focus by letting the Bruins chip away and hang tough the rest of the way.
winning the next 4 games which includes a trip to the midwest and a game against a top 10 opponent is a pretty big assumption. I'd say the most likely scenario is 3-1 and there's a good chance of 2-2. Every game is tough and losable. USC is underrated and has one of the best players in the country. Every road game is losable for this team and then we host #9 nebraska. 0-4 is almost more likely than 4-0.
I agree with you E.....SC beat Wisconsin.....(who a couple of weeks ago beat Michigan), and Indiana. SC is quite capable and if we don't show up with the same determination we had Saturday, the result in this rivalry game could eliminate all of the optimism referenced above.
Just clarifying things about the court rushing, since my standards were clearly different from others.
-Ok to rush the court after beating #2 (who is now #8).
-Presumably ok with you all to rush the court after beating #10, especially in that fashion (we'll see how far they drop).
-Do we rush the court after beating the crappy unranked trogans tomorrow night? Just trying to figure out where that line is.
What a game on Saturday though. That was such a wild and fun game thread. Lots to figure out with the defense still, if that's even an option at this stage of the season, but it was so fun seeing the team's resilience and fight. Bottle that and bring that every night. LFG Bruins!
No, they should NOT rush the court after beating USC. I say that you can rush after beating a top ten opponent in an "upset" win, but not if you beat someone you are "supposed" to beat.
Also surprisingly, Illinois did not fall in the rankings at all and are still #10
Apparently, anytime the Bruins pull off a big upset at Pauley in come-from-behind, buzzer-beating fashion will trigger a court-storming frenzy by the kids (a total of 2 now this season). At least the folks at Pauley are quick enough to run a rope lengthwise down the middle of court to prevent the crowd from disrupting the team handshake line. In the video, I saw HC Cronin immediately walk over to the Ilinois side just after DD made his layup, but wonder if the players eventually made it over there, as the team and the crowd looked pretty busy celebrating.
I also think court-storming after any victory against the team across town is absolutely unnecessary---they're just $C.
Thanks for the write up. Didn’t get to watch but it’s always good to see ucla doesn’t give up… I will say that cronin is pretty good at not having his teams give up
Baskets......there are several good replays of the game available. I know you love offense. Run through the first half until the score is 33 to 10, then watch the rest of it. You will be frustrated with our inability to block the Illini off the boards (offensive rebounds and putbacks were killing us), but it will be a revelation to you, both as to the mental toughness this team has developed (they could have folded like a cheap suit a number of times), and as to what this team is capable of offensively.....it's pretty entertaining.
P.S. to Joe: Beat SC, Beat Minnesota, Beat Nebraska. Beat SC!
Don't forget Dent had zero TOs to go along with the 15 dimes.
The preseason AP #12-ranked team in the country showed up with heart and fortitude when they needed it most after such a brutal week. I think Dent's winning drive may have been a tougher one to navigate than Edney's full-court winner. Pretty exciting final play to watch, with Dent taking advantage of the screen by Bilodeau at midcourt and blowing past four of the Illini trees along the way to make the layup. Great play drawn up by HC Cronin, as the Bruins seemed determined to either get a bucket or maybe draw a foul call. I needed to get a drink after that game... :-)
Go Bruins!
Truly horrendous defensive planning helped too.
3rd loss for Illinois this month, where they have led at halftime and then lost the 2nd half and OT periods.
Once again, I am taking credit for the win, because I told Joe that I’m at a wedding (still am!) and that there probably wouldn’t be need for a postgame.
LOL, I think that's what anti-Cronin fever can do to folks (I still have just a tiny bit of immunity left). And this season still isn't over yet...
According to Cronin (not sure if 100% correct), "The second half, they shot 29%, 16% from three, overtime they shot 22%, 0% from three – 0-for-5".
Some of that looked to be good D while also seemed like they missed a lot of open 3s
They did miss a lot of open ones. They also hit a lot of contested ones in the first half. That’s basketball. It’s a game of streaks.
In MNSHO opinion. Perry's three FTs were the key.
Perry has been so good for us this year! Still has some boneheaded moments but has grown a lot
Didn’t realize it at the time, but Cronin dropped the ball at the end. Pretty sure we still had a timeout to burn and Cronin could have called it around 6 seconds to draw up a new play when Biladeau didn’t come up to set the screen early enough. Missed opportunity.
I thought subbing in b Williams for booker at the end of OT may have also been a mistake, but it all worked out in the end. Maybe his size could've prevented the offensive rebound and putback
Not sure Booker would have gotten the rebound if he was yanked out bounds like Williams. It was subtle but Illinois player yanks his arm as Williams was getting ready to rebound.
After looking again, it was Feeny who got yanked out of bounds.
I think HC Cronin was very fortunate to have 2 final-possession opportunities to win the game, as buzzer-beating shots seem to have a tendency to favor the opponents more often than not.
The second final possession was the result of an Illinois brain-fart. They could’ve held for the last possession of OT but ran their offense way too early
They could have, but that leaves them with no time if they miss. Going early means you have a chance to foul and extend if you miss.
Cronin still stinks. Only like 1 out of 100 games are won when the team down by 23 comes back. It’s a fluke.
From ESPN.com: "The 23-point comeback also was the largest to defeat a top-10 opponent in AP poll history, according to ESPN Research."
You might be smelling the pyramid of poop... ;-)
lol so more like 1 out of the first time ever.
correct. Cronin gets no credit whatsoever for this win.
Clearly, all the bad things are his fault, all the good things are because of the players.
similarly, the loudest detractors after losses are largely silent after wins.
If he can't shoot the ball for them in a loss, then he can't take credit for shooting the ball for them in a win.
And it's also obviously not the players' fault for not having aptitude or failing to follow his instructions after going over it 10 times on video---I mean 5 times... ;-)
The credit for the win goes to Dimitri Dorlis, as stated earlier. Hope there are more weddings for him to attend!
I am pretty sure in I don’t think i could continue to bring myself to watch college basketball if this kind of comeback didn’t bring me some join.
"Yeah baby, yeah baby, yeah baby...."
https://youtu.be/FrWBGSs1Ahk?si=lKvdbr8Cxa_Hm8y7
That is a great clip WP.......life is full of "moments".......that was one of the great ones.
Evidently there were at least 2 "players only" meetings held last week prompted by Skyy, with ED, Bilo, Dent and Trent in support and making sure all attended.
In my athletic career, I had two teams (seasons) where "players only" meetings were called, one was a revolt against our coach/staff for a variety of reasons; the other was in support our coach because he was catching heat for our record and we took accountability for putting him in a bad spot. In both situations, those meetings unified our team despite their differing motivations; both resulted in strong finishes to those seasons, with one of them resulting in a playoff run. Taking ownership of our individual play, our love for the game and our respective commitments to “the guys in the room” changed the directions of those teams.
Let’s hope that no matter the reasons for the basketball team's meetings, that the bond forged therein, turned this collection of transfers with some talent into that steele-willed unit that refused to let past blowouts, bad press, coaching controversies or a 23-point deficit to the 10th ranked team in the country bury them. I'm looking forward to more consistent efforts like the one I saw tonight over the last 30 minutes of that 40 minute contest.
I am just so darn happy for our players! That ending was so awesome, just amazing!!!
💙💛💙💛
My view of cronin has not been altered. But my love for UCLA is far too great so I am over the moon that we won this game!
If the bandwagon starts to roll (and it's still a big "if"), there is always room for you on it T, no matter your opinions on Mick....
I think the issue for some folks is HC Cronin is the one driving the bandwagon---I think I'll sit behind on the very last cart and jump off when the lead cart runs off a cliff. Still enough room for me, Ms. Tamara, and anyone else... :-)
Found 1 unexpected source of support for HC Cronin that's coming from a former Bruin:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DU9gPfnAYNS/
Don't know about his defense, but that guy could score... :-)
Pyramid of poop!
We have a good chance to finish the season on a 5 game winning streak, but need to beat SC on Tuesday first! 3 of the 4 games are winnable games, with a hard one vs Nebraska (!) at Pauley in there
Funny how a lot of us left the Bruins for dead (or barely on life support) just a few days ago... :-)
Agreed.......love Donny Mac by the way.......He usually kills it on Petros and Money.
To me that was just "battered bruin syndrome" / anti Cronin hate. I had expected 2 losses on the road vs the Michigan teams so I didnt think those were end of the world losses. (Though the Jamerson situation was definitely a bad look)
I agree, BBS and anti-Cronin fever are widespread and highly contagious this season (worse than the flu and measles), but I think it's just the way that they lost and the HC antics that made things much worse for the team and the school on that forgettable trip.
Cmon now, college basketball fans never over react
Hate to be an Illini fan after their embarrassing loss... ;-)
Illinois fans were PISSED on Twitter after the game. Underwood is getting a lot of heat because they played terrible defense on that last play even though they were coming out of two timeouts and they also gave up a 23 point lead. Just goes to show, need to play the whole game through no matter how good or bad it’s going!
Yep, the Illini haven't been inconsistent like the Bruins this season, but their frustrations are high over their inabilty to put away teams lately. The bad defense allowed quickness to kill them in dramatic fashion on the final play. Funny thing is DD (Dent, not Dimitri) claimed that he hadn't seen Edney's coast-to-coast game-winner before, and it looks like HC Underwood and his players hadn't either. I think the $3M man may have given his NBA dream a nice little boost after his career-high, 15-assist performance and thrilling game-winner (Note: I am NOT saying he's going to be drafted--he needs to be a much better shooter!).
Also a great call by announcer Tim Brando on the Fox TV broadcast ("Tyus Edney revisited!"). Interesting to hear from the man himself on how that one shot came about and will never be forgotten:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMc8qcxUgo
Extending the defense and still letting Dent catch the ball with uncontested with momentum is coaching malpractice. Either pressure hard or fall back into a legit half court defense.
Yeah, not that I really care, but I'm sure HC Underwood provided some thoughts on how he called the final play and what went wrong for them. Maybe the need to avoid risking committing a foul got stuck in their heads. Anyway, I think they actually blew the game not on the final play, but in the 1st half when they were high-fiving each other to build the huge lead and then lost their focus by letting the Bruins chip away and hang tough the rest of the way.
winning the next 4 games which includes a trip to the midwest and a game against a top 10 opponent is a pretty big assumption. I'd say the most likely scenario is 3-1 and there's a good chance of 2-2. Every game is tough and losable. USC is underrated and has one of the best players in the country. Every road game is losable for this team and then we host #9 nebraska. 0-4 is almost more likely than 4-0.
I agree with you E.....SC beat Wisconsin.....(who a couple of weeks ago beat Michigan), and Indiana. SC is quite capable and if we don't show up with the same determination we had Saturday, the result in this rivalry game could eliminate all of the optimism referenced above.
Just clarifying things about the court rushing, since my standards were clearly different from others.
-Ok to rush the court after beating #2 (who is now #8).
-Presumably ok with you all to rush the court after beating #10, especially in that fashion (we'll see how far they drop).
-Do we rush the court after beating the crappy unranked trogans tomorrow night? Just trying to figure out where that line is.
What a game on Saturday though. That was such a wild and fun game thread. Lots to figure out with the defense still, if that's even an option at this stage of the season, but it was so fun seeing the team's resilience and fight. Bottle that and bring that every night. LFG Bruins!
No, they should NOT rush the court after beating USC. I say that you can rush after beating a top ten opponent in an "upset" win, but not if you beat someone you are "supposed" to beat.
Also surprisingly, Illinois did not fall in the rankings at all and are still #10
And I don't think the Bruins' NET ranking (or KenPom rating) improved, either. It's almost as if the 2 teams never played each other...
that part is weird.
Apparently, anytime the Bruins pull off a big upset at Pauley in come-from-behind, buzzer-beating fashion will trigger a court-storming frenzy by the kids (a total of 2 now this season). At least the folks at Pauley are quick enough to run a rope lengthwise down the middle of court to prevent the crowd from disrupting the team handshake line. In the video, I saw HC Cronin immediately walk over to the Ilinois side just after DD made his layup, but wonder if the players eventually made it over there, as the team and the crowd looked pretty busy celebrating.
I also think court-storming after any victory against the team across town is absolutely unnecessary---they're just $C.
Yes, both teams eventually got around to shaking hands. Good sportsmanship by Illinois to stick around with all the craziness on the court.