I still watch the 2007 UCLA/Kansas tournament game from time to time to relive those Howland days, but this game was much better, far more exciting. I’ll still be watching this game on YouTube 14 years later.
This game was almost as exciting and nerve wrecking like the UCLA vs Gonzaga game of 2008. UCLA was valiant and I thought at different points of the game the wheels were going to fall off. I thought when Juzang fouled it, that was it. Then when the buzzer beater happened I thought UCLA is under manned the ref were so for Alabama it wasn’t even funny, and they can back and scored 25 points in OT. Definitely, valiant display of being at their best when their was needed!
To me, this is the grittiest, and most hard-nosed team since Howlands only Finals squad in 2006....not a lot of stars, but they were tough and the never quit. This feels like 2006...except apparently I can't watch games live.
today was the first time I truly felt the difference between Cronin and Alford. It was the play drawn up for Riley at the end of the game. Jaquez a total decoy. Tyger drive and dish. Ya they tied it up, but that was true coaching. Alford would have just picked someone and told them to make something happen. I guess that's why he was Steve 16. You dont win more than a couple game in March without a coaching advantage.
Everyone on the team contributed something critical to today’s success. That’s what a TEAM is all about. And when we got caught watching and took that gut punch at the end of regulation, the team shook it off and played even better in OT. What a fun and inspiring game. It was house money before today started, but why not push it all in again and see how we measure up against one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the country.
We’ve already exceeded expectations. What a great group of kids who are being coached up. Alabama had superior talent and athletes that couldn’t make a free throw.
Fun bit of trivia, but if I told you Nate Oates got his college coaching start as an assistant under Bobby Hurley, everything would make perfect sense, right?
Yes, it would. I don’t think they were well organized. They got away with a lot of grabbing, holding and going over the back. And, they choked at the foul line.
Alabama coach singled out Herb Jones in his postgame comments for missing those two free throws at end of regulation. Kinda shitty thing to do, considering they shot an abysmal 44% from the line as a team.
This has got to help recruiting. No doubt about it. These kids are a team. The celebration after the game was outstanding. Look how much better Singleton and Bernard are playing. Nobody transferred out. Amazing job.
I've seen enough from various places to guess that UCLA is going to get the transfer post they want, and will then gauge if they have any other departures to see if they grab a point guard.
In either case, I'll talk more about it once the season ends. Want to focus on the ride now.
There’s the one big from Rutgers that could really help. Tyger was outstanding tonight. He isn’t getting enough credit. I think the Bruins only had 8 turnovers.
I think Tyger has played well the last two games, but he has some limitations, especially with larger guards. It makes getting a bigger PG to split time with him a good piece to consider.
Funnily enough, Michigan is a better matchup for UCLA than Alabama was, with the exception that Michigan plays at a pace closer to ours so it will be harder to throw off their rhythm. I'd say they're a more-athletic version of BYU.
It sounds like Rutgers star Jacob Young is also exploring going pro in addition to entering the transfer portal. I know that the Eastern Washington brothers are entering the transfer portal. Does UCLA have any interest in Tanner? He looked great against Kansas - would he be a good fit with the Bruins?
You're talking about Myles Johnson from Long Beach Poly. 13 pts/9 reb in 25 min per game. He would come in as a grad transfer and he's an engineering major. And guess who has a really good engineering school? We do.
Hill is the main domino, and is considered doubtful to return. He always could, but at this point UCLA is proceeding as if he will not be with the program. That's where the transfer post comes in.
Riley is more of a coin flip at the moment, but his departure would open the door for UCLA to grab a secondary point guard to complement Tyger Campbell. If Riley comes back, it's fine.
And for those asking, Chris Smith staying or leaving doesn't matter. He'd be a Super Senior next year and wouldn't count against scholarship counts, so for roster purposes his decision doesn't matter.
what is Hill's deal. I assume he's gone. I know it's "personal" reasons, but he is going to try to play elsewhere? just curious. Nice player. would have been real helpful to this run.
I hope he has a knack for speaking foreign languages because there isn't much of a job market for him here in the States if basketball is his chosen profession.
What a difference the coach makes. No matter how much talent the previous coach had, the Bruins always underperformed, got totally outclassed by better teams, and lost in embarrassing fashion to teams they were expected to beat. On the other hand, Coach Cronin has successfully instilled the toughness and determination that’s been sorely lacking in the UCLA basketball program and has made this team competitive and exciting to watch. We’re seeing them get hot at the right time and winning highly competitive games they’re not expected to win. I wonder how far they could’ve gone if COVID hadn’t cancelled last season’s Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments. Just one glaring coaching mistake toward the end of regulation against Alabama, but still the Bruins ended up being the ones that looked more like the 2nd-seeded team in eventually securing the win in OT. Once again, (1-seed) Michigan is another, much tougher opponent that should have its way with the Bruins, but I hope UCLA can surprise us again and go from First Four to Final Four.
Alford only won games when he had more talent. That's fine when you recruit well like he did, but eventually you run into a team that outperforms its own talent on account of its coach. And then you lose. Kind of like what happened to Alabama today.
Anyone have any info about Cody Riley returning next season. Just read on BRO that he's almost surely gone (and Hill, but I sort of expected that), but no explanation. I guess he's ready for the G league, but I don't see him being an NBA guy ever. Was hoping he would enjoy the college spotlight for 1 more season before he tried to make a little bit of a living in the G league or overseas. Really hoping Smith comes back too.
Cronin needs to bring in a couple of bigs. His recruits are guards and wings for next year. Etienne will be back and hopefully Cronin can bring out his potential. Nwuba is the only other option if Riley leaves. And even a great coach like Cronin is not likely to make Nwuba more than he already is.
I'd be pretty nervous if I were Michigan. Ya they are a 1 seed, but they gotta be looking at us and wondering why we are an 11, especially given the success the pac 12 is having right now they probably feel more like they are drawing a 3 or 4. I'd rather play Bama to be honest.
My ultimate Elite-8 dream scenario is for the three remaining Pac-12 teams to pull off upsets of their respective opponents and get to the Final Four. Then, I would want UCLA to achieve redemption by eliminating U$C from the tournament and hope Oregon State wins again to face UCLA in the championship game so that the Bruins can deliver a final payback against the Beavers. How's that for a sheer March Madness fantasy? :-)
I love Cronin. But he’s right, his players bailed him out. When is he going to learn that with the lead in an end-of-game situation and with little time on the clock, his team should apply some pressure on the ball in the backcourt? Same thing happened at USC in the last game of the previous season. Cronin concedes the first 40 feet of the court, not forcing the other team to use clock, not doing anything to prevent them from getting the ball exactly where they want with plenty of time to get off a good shot. You don’t even have to think UCLA should have fouled Alabama to see how obviously flawed his defensive strategy is on those kinds of plays. He seemed to say he normally likes to foul. Well, then pressure the ball 94 feet from the basket and foul there. Just mind boggling passivity when you have control of the game.
Totally agree--I watched in disbelief at what transpired during that last play of regulation. That was just too easy to allow Alabama to get off a good shot and drain it. I thought UCLA lost the game right there. Kudos to the team for not letting it discourage them, but to hang tough and play hard for an extra 5 minutes and finally get the victory that they deserved. Go Bruins!
Sorry, but a shot from that length by a 25% 3 point shooter does not qualify as a “good shot.” He made it but it was very lucky. It’s just as likely that Alabama gets a rebound and put back on a missed free throw.
It was a wide open look, which he shouldn’t have gotten. He got it because of poor defensive coaching strategy. It was not a desperation heave, it was a jump shot in rhythm and he made it. A halfcourt or three quarters court shot is “very lucky.” A long three is not. The part that was “very lucky” for Alabama was that Cronin allowed it to happen.
“Lucky” happened because Cronin allowed it to happen. That’s the point. Foul or not, he didn’t pressure the ball. It’s okay to criticize Cronin when he makes a mistake. Listen to his press conference, he criticized himself for his strategy.
Of course he allowed it to happen. You play the percentages in that situation. It doesn’t always work out. Nobody knows what would have happened if we fouled Quinerly.
Please try reading what I actually wrote, which is that Cronin erred in failing to pressure the ball starting at 94 feet. Just like he did against USC last year. Never said he should have fouled. Cronin said that, not me. Now go right ahead and misstate what I wrote again.
Alabama didn’t set up a situation where you could pressure for 94 feet. Their alignment was for a 30 foot pass, unless you want someone on the inbounds passer. The defense on the play was more passive since he decided not to foul. When Cronin said the players bailed him out, (which you mentioned in your comments) he was referring to not fouling Quinerly. You could argue that we should have tried to pressure Quinerly more on the inbounds play or put someone on the inbounder, but I think the strategy was to guises the 3 point line. The guy hit a very long shot. You can only guard all 94 feet if there is someone to cover. There wasn’t. I’m sure that Rick Pitino can discuss the cons of not covering the guy inbounding the ball
It’s not complicated. Make Quinerly catch the inbound pass nearer to the baseline. Cronin conceded more than halfway to halfcourt. If they choose to throw it long instead of to Quinerly, so what, it’s easier to steal a long pass. Cronin’s strategy enabled Quinerly to do exactly what he did, quickly get across halfcourt and pass to an open shooter with plenty of time. If you want to keep defending Cronin regardless, then so be it.
The only way to make the inbounds pass shorter was to pressure the inbounds pass. That leaves one less player guarding the 3 point line. More pressure up front leaves more vulnerability at the back. Cronin chose to cover the 3 point line and not to foul. The players aren’t going to play aggressively on D with an instruction not to foul. So no, it’s not that simple. You act as if the shot the guy made was an easy one to hit. It wasn’t. But he did hit it.
One thing that was stated above and you’re emphasizing is the fact that UCLA defends in their side of the court. I am no expert, but maybe for a specific play with so much on the line, give the other team something different. Allowing them to bring the ball with ease about 50-55 ft is much more confortable for opposing teams than having to fight here and there from the inbounds pass. I’m not saying go full court press, but give opposing teams a different look at different stages of the game.
What I meant by "good shot" was that he was given an uncontested 3-point attempt and had a decent chance at making it. Yes, it was a deeper than normal 3 for anyone, but it looked like a straight-up, picture-perfect stroke to me. One could debate whether it was a "good" or a "lucky" shot for a particular player, but the fact is that he made it and the Bruins' defensive execution on that play allowed it to happen.
It was a beautiful shot and a nice stroke by the shooter. No doubt. It was also a low percentage shot. We could have fouled. They could have made the first and then rebounded a miss. They were allowed to go over our backs all night. I’m not sure which scenario is the better percentage play. Cronin would also be criticized if that happened. Yet, we wouldn’t be here without his coaching. We came back from that big shot and dominated overtime.
I won’t pretend I’m a basketball connoisseur, but from playing organized sports, I can’t believe that UCLA double team the ball, especially with a left handed player going to his right, unbalanced, trying to pull up for a three on the trot with a man on him. I think, and it is easy to judge in hindsight, but he was bailed out when he got double teamed and the man left wide open was straight down the middle. At this level, with that kind of look, it was a much better shot than the one they would have taken had UCLA not double teamed the ball.
I have no idea why this one play is making everyone go bananas, except for ArmyBruin.
Let's not make the incorrect assumption that Cronin does not have a full court press in his playbook. Cronin mentored under Huggins and Pitino, both of whom are noted for pressing a full 94 feet and he ran a full court defense at Cincinnati.
Cronin didn't pressure the ball from the baseline because the Bruins don't have the personnel to effectively run a full court press. The 2 best defenders for the Bruins are not playing, namely Smith and Hill. His 3 next best defenders are Bernard who is fundamentally flawed, Jaquez who is too slow to pick up PG's a full 94 feet, and Clark, who doesn't have the experience. Everyone else including Juzang, who was on the bench, are simply poor defenders.
He correctly decided to play a matchup zone from the half court line with the intent on trapping the ball handler on the sideline Riley was slow in recognizing Reese as the shooter and got there late.
Had he run a full court press, we probably would have seen Quinerly or Shackleford pull off Tyus Edney 2.0.
Let's get this right. The Bruins are not a good defensive team when you look at each player individually. Yet, because of Cronin, they are a much improved defensive team this year compared to last season because they play passing lanes much better, they play with effort, and if they get beat, they recover (something that never happened under Alford).
To lay that one single play at the feet of Cronin is simply unfair. They simply failed to execute their defense coming off a timeout which is something that can be expected from an #11 seed.
I got my wish. I commented at the beginning of the tourney that I wanted this to team to bust the brackets of sportscasters. They have done it with Tenacious D!!! :) I kid, but they have. I love Cronin's explanation about playing tough. Love this team!!!
Our last four losses during the season were to Colorado (by 9), Oregon (by 8), USC (by 1), and Oregon State (by 4). All were tournament teams. Colorado reached the round of 32. Oregon reached the sweet 16 and lost to USC. USC and Oregan State are in the Elite 8 with UCLA.
Though the four consecutive losses looked bad for us. These were all tougher teams than anyone thought.
Agreed, our 4 consecutive losses don’t look *as* bad now. It’s crazy that SC has been winning their tournament games by an average of 21 pts - although that’s also mostly due to them destroying Kansas by 34 points
I still watch the 2007 UCLA/Kansas tournament game from time to time to relive those Howland days, but this game was much better, far more exciting. I’ll still be watching this game on YouTube 14 years later.
This game was almost as exciting and nerve wrecking like the UCLA vs Gonzaga game of 2008. UCLA was valiant and I thought at different points of the game the wheels were going to fall off. I thought when Juzang fouled it, that was it. Then when the buzzer beater happened I thought UCLA is under manned the ref were so for Alabama it wasn’t even funny, and they can back and scored 25 points in OT. Definitely, valiant display of being at their best when their was needed!
Felt the same way. This was an "instant classic" for the UCLA fan.
First four to the Elite Eight! Still dancing!
Amazing run. I hate to bring up OSU again, but I think the Beavers have the best chance to advance.
To me, this is the grittiest, and most hard-nosed team since Howlands only Finals squad in 2006....not a lot of stars, but they were tough and the never quit. This feels like 2006...except apparently I can't watch games live.
Everyone...our real MVP, TxBruinFan! 8 Clap...
I say tune in on Tuesday, Tx. Michigan will be another level up, but you should see our guys play.
The Stench of Steve is gone!
ArmyBruin, this is great. Best March Madness for the Bruins in a long time.
The sweet smell of success!
I’m every bit as shocked as Baskets. I didn’t think this team would get close to the Elite 8.
today was the first time I truly felt the difference between Cronin and Alford. It was the play drawn up for Riley at the end of the game. Jaquez a total decoy. Tyger drive and dish. Ya they tied it up, but that was true coaching. Alford would have just picked someone and told them to make something happen. I guess that's why he was Steve 16. You dont win more than a couple game in March without a coaching advantage.
And that, above all, is best, IMO.
Everyone on the team contributed something critical to today’s success. That’s what a TEAM is all about. And when we got caught watching and took that gut punch at the end of regulation, the team shook it off and played even better in OT. What a fun and inspiring game. It was house money before today started, but why not push it all in again and see how we measure up against one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the country.
Go Bruins!
We’ve already exceeded expectations. What a great group of kids who are being coached up. Alabama had superior talent and athletes that couldn’t make a free throw.
Fun bit of trivia, but if I told you Nate Oates got his college coaching start as an assistant under Bobby Hurley, everything would make perfect sense, right?
Yes, it would. I don’t think they were well organized. They got away with a lot of grabbing, holding and going over the back. And, they choked at the foul line.
UCLA fans of my generation hated Hurley and that entire Duke team of the early 90s. So, yeah, that's some poetic justice.
Alabama coach singled out Herb Jones in his postgame comments for missing those two free throws at end of regulation. Kinda shitty thing to do, considering they shot an abysmal 44% from the line as a team.
Damn. Not cool.
what a dick. expect nothing less from a guy willing to sport that blazer on national tv.
This has got to help recruiting. No doubt about it. These kids are a team. The celebration after the game was outstanding. Look how much better Singleton and Bernard are playing. Nobody transferred out. Amazing job.
I've seen enough from various places to guess that UCLA is going to get the transfer post they want, and will then gauge if they have any other departures to see if they grab a point guard.
In either case, I'll talk more about it once the season ends. Want to focus on the ride now.
There’s the one big from Rutgers that could really help. Tyger was outstanding tonight. He isn’t getting enough credit. I think the Bruins only had 8 turnovers.
The Rutgers post is the one I'm referring to.
I think Tyger has played well the last two games, but he has some limitations, especially with larger guards. It makes getting a bigger PG to split time with him a good piece to consider.
Luckily, Michigan doesn’t have a bigger PG. I still don’t like our chances. Just like I didn’t like our chances against MSU, BYU and Alabama.
Funnily enough, Michigan is a better matchup for UCLA than Alabama was, with the exception that Michigan plays at a pace closer to ours so it will be harder to throw off their rhythm. I'd say they're a more-athletic version of BYU.
Well, the Michigan bigs are a real mismatch for us. I suspect that there will be some PT for Nwuba and Etienne.
It sounds like Rutgers star Jacob Young is also exploring going pro in addition to entering the transfer portal. I know that the Eastern Washington brothers are entering the transfer portal. Does UCLA have any interest in Tanner? He looked great against Kansas - would he be a good fit with the Bruins?
You're talking about Myles Johnson from Long Beach Poly. 13 pts/9 reb in 25 min per game. He would come in as a grad transfer and he's an engineering major. And guess who has a really good engineering school? We do.
reading Riley is going to leave. Are they going to try to politely nudge him out so he can be replaced with a transfer?
Riley is rumored to be leaving. It is also doubtful that Hill will be returning.
To go into it a bit:
Hill is the main domino, and is considered doubtful to return. He always could, but at this point UCLA is proceeding as if he will not be with the program. That's where the transfer post comes in.
Riley is more of a coin flip at the moment, but his departure would open the door for UCLA to grab a secondary point guard to complement Tyger Campbell. If Riley comes back, it's fine.
And for those asking, Chris Smith staying or leaving doesn't matter. He'd be a Super Senior next year and wouldn't count against scholarship counts, so for roster purposes his decision doesn't matter.
what is Hill's deal. I assume he's gone. I know it's "personal" reasons, but he is going to try to play elsewhere? just curious. Nice player. would have been real helpful to this run.
I don't want to speculate much, but I think the assumption is that he's done with college at this point and is going to move on.
I hope he has a knack for speaking foreign languages because there isn't much of a job market for him here in the States if basketball is his chosen profession.
What a difference the coach makes. No matter how much talent the previous coach had, the Bruins always underperformed, got totally outclassed by better teams, and lost in embarrassing fashion to teams they were expected to beat. On the other hand, Coach Cronin has successfully instilled the toughness and determination that’s been sorely lacking in the UCLA basketball program and has made this team competitive and exciting to watch. We’re seeing them get hot at the right time and winning highly competitive games they’re not expected to win. I wonder how far they could’ve gone if COVID hadn’t cancelled last season’s Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments. Just one glaring coaching mistake toward the end of regulation against Alabama, but still the Bruins ended up being the ones that looked more like the 2nd-seeded team in eventually securing the win in OT. Once again, (1-seed) Michigan is another, much tougher opponent that should have its way with the Bruins, but I hope UCLA can surprise us again and go from First Four to Final Four.
Alford only won games when he had more talent. That's fine when you recruit well like he did, but eventually you run into a team that outperforms its own talent on account of its coach. And then you lose. Kind of like what happened to Alabama today.
Alford did well against Kentucky winning twice I believe. Outside of that the more talented teams would win.
Anyone have any info about Cody Riley returning next season. Just read on BRO that he's almost surely gone (and Hill, but I sort of expected that), but no explanation. I guess he's ready for the G league, but I don't see him being an NBA guy ever. Was hoping he would enjoy the college spotlight for 1 more season before he tried to make a little bit of a living in the G league or overseas. Really hoping Smith comes back too.
Cronin needs to bring in a couple of bigs. His recruits are guards and wings for next year. Etienne will be back and hopefully Cronin can bring out his potential. Nwuba is the only other option if Riley leaves. And even a great coach like Cronin is not likely to make Nwuba more than he already is.
I'd be pretty nervous if I were Michigan. Ya they are a 1 seed, but they gotta be looking at us and wondering why we are an 11, especially given the success the pac 12 is having right now they probably feel more like they are drawing a 3 or 4. I'd rather play Bama to be honest.
My ultimate Elite-8 dream scenario is for the three remaining Pac-12 teams to pull off upsets of their respective opponents and get to the Final Four. Then, I would want UCLA to achieve redemption by eliminating U$C from the tournament and hope Oregon State wins again to face UCLA in the championship game so that the Bruins can deliver a final payback against the Beavers. How's that for a sheer March Madness fantasy? :-)
Well, at least our Bruins made it to the Final Four.... :-)
Congratulations, Coach Cronin and team!
I love Cronin. But he’s right, his players bailed him out. When is he going to learn that with the lead in an end-of-game situation and with little time on the clock, his team should apply some pressure on the ball in the backcourt? Same thing happened at USC in the last game of the previous season. Cronin concedes the first 40 feet of the court, not forcing the other team to use clock, not doing anything to prevent them from getting the ball exactly where they want with plenty of time to get off a good shot. You don’t even have to think UCLA should have fouled Alabama to see how obviously flawed his defensive strategy is on those kinds of plays. He seemed to say he normally likes to foul. Well, then pressure the ball 94 feet from the basket and foul there. Just mind boggling passivity when you have control of the game.
Totally agree--I watched in disbelief at what transpired during that last play of regulation. That was just too easy to allow Alabama to get off a good shot and drain it. I thought UCLA lost the game right there. Kudos to the team for not letting it discourage them, but to hang tough and play hard for an extra 5 minutes and finally get the victory that they deserved. Go Bruins!
Sorry, but a shot from that length by a 25% 3 point shooter does not qualify as a “good shot.” He made it but it was very lucky. It’s just as likely that Alabama gets a rebound and put back on a missed free throw.
It was a wide open look, which he shouldn’t have gotten. He got it because of poor defensive coaching strategy. It was not a desperation heave, it was a jump shot in rhythm and he made it. A halfcourt or three quarters court shot is “very lucky.” A long three is not. The part that was “very lucky” for Alabama was that Cronin allowed it to happen.
Sorry, but I fully disagree. That was a very long 3 and the guy is not a good 3 point shooter. Think Tyger Campbell making the same shot. Lucky.
“Lucky” happened because Cronin allowed it to happen. That’s the point. Foul or not, he didn’t pressure the ball. It’s okay to criticize Cronin when he makes a mistake. Listen to his press conference, he criticized himself for his strategy.
Of course he allowed it to happen. You play the percentages in that situation. It doesn’t always work out. Nobody knows what would have happened if we fouled Quinerly.
Please try reading what I actually wrote, which is that Cronin erred in failing to pressure the ball starting at 94 feet. Just like he did against USC last year. Never said he should have fouled. Cronin said that, not me. Now go right ahead and misstate what I wrote again.
Alabama didn’t set up a situation where you could pressure for 94 feet. Their alignment was for a 30 foot pass, unless you want someone on the inbounds passer. The defense on the play was more passive since he decided not to foul. When Cronin said the players bailed him out, (which you mentioned in your comments) he was referring to not fouling Quinerly. You could argue that we should have tried to pressure Quinerly more on the inbounds play or put someone on the inbounder, but I think the strategy was to guises the 3 point line. The guy hit a very long shot. You can only guard all 94 feet if there is someone to cover. There wasn’t. I’m sure that Rick Pitino can discuss the cons of not covering the guy inbounding the ball
It’s not complicated. Make Quinerly catch the inbound pass nearer to the baseline. Cronin conceded more than halfway to halfcourt. If they choose to throw it long instead of to Quinerly, so what, it’s easier to steal a long pass. Cronin’s strategy enabled Quinerly to do exactly what he did, quickly get across halfcourt and pass to an open shooter with plenty of time. If you want to keep defending Cronin regardless, then so be it.
The only way to make the inbounds pass shorter was to pressure the inbounds pass. That leaves one less player guarding the 3 point line. More pressure up front leaves more vulnerability at the back. Cronin chose to cover the 3 point line and not to foul. The players aren’t going to play aggressively on D with an instruction not to foul. So no, it’s not that simple. You act as if the shot the guy made was an easy one to hit. It wasn’t. But he did hit it.
One thing that was stated above and you’re emphasizing is the fact that UCLA defends in their side of the court. I am no expert, but maybe for a specific play with so much on the line, give the other team something different. Allowing them to bring the ball with ease about 50-55 ft is much more confortable for opposing teams than having to fight here and there from the inbounds pass. I’m not saying go full court press, but give opposing teams a different look at different stages of the game.
What I meant by "good shot" was that he was given an uncontested 3-point attempt and had a decent chance at making it. Yes, it was a deeper than normal 3 for anyone, but it looked like a straight-up, picture-perfect stroke to me. One could debate whether it was a "good" or a "lucky" shot for a particular player, but the fact is that he made it and the Bruins' defensive execution on that play allowed it to happen.
It was a beautiful shot and a nice stroke by the shooter. No doubt. It was also a low percentage shot. We could have fouled. They could have made the first and then rebounded a miss. They were allowed to go over our backs all night. I’m not sure which scenario is the better percentage play. Cronin would also be criticized if that happened. Yet, we wouldn’t be here without his coaching. We came back from that big shot and dominated overtime.
I won’t pretend I’m a basketball connoisseur, but from playing organized sports, I can’t believe that UCLA double team the ball, especially with a left handed player going to his right, unbalanced, trying to pull up for a three on the trot with a man on him. I think, and it is easy to judge in hindsight, but he was bailed out when he got double teamed and the man left wide open was straight down the middle. At this level, with that kind of look, it was a much better shot than the one they would have taken had UCLA not double teamed the ball.
I have no idea why this one play is making everyone go bananas, except for ArmyBruin.
Let's not make the incorrect assumption that Cronin does not have a full court press in his playbook. Cronin mentored under Huggins and Pitino, both of whom are noted for pressing a full 94 feet and he ran a full court defense at Cincinnati.
If you don't believe me, here's proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6DyYlADWow
Cronin didn't pressure the ball from the baseline because the Bruins don't have the personnel to effectively run a full court press. The 2 best defenders for the Bruins are not playing, namely Smith and Hill. His 3 next best defenders are Bernard who is fundamentally flawed, Jaquez who is too slow to pick up PG's a full 94 feet, and Clark, who doesn't have the experience. Everyone else including Juzang, who was on the bench, are simply poor defenders.
He correctly decided to play a matchup zone from the half court line with the intent on trapping the ball handler on the sideline Riley was slow in recognizing Reese as the shooter and got there late.
Had he run a full court press, we probably would have seen Quinerly or Shackleford pull off Tyus Edney 2.0.
Let's get this right. The Bruins are not a good defensive team when you look at each player individually. Yet, because of Cronin, they are a much improved defensive team this year compared to last season because they play passing lanes much better, they play with effort, and if they get beat, they recover (something that never happened under Alford).
To lay that one single play at the feet of Cronin is simply unfair. They simply failed to execute their defense coming off a timeout which is something that can be expected from an #11 seed.
What a game! Boy I have been wrong... I’m blown away and don’t have much to add... my silence is golden 😀
I’m sure we all hope that you are enjoying this as much as we are. Nobody expected it. Mick’s first Elite 8. Looking forward to many more.
I got my wish. I commented at the beginning of the tourney that I wanted this to team to bust the brackets of sportscasters. They have done it with Tenacious D!!! :) I kid, but they have. I love Cronin's explanation about playing tough. Love this team!!!
Our last four losses during the season were to Colorado (by 9), Oregon (by 8), USC (by 1), and Oregon State (by 4). All were tournament teams. Colorado reached the round of 32. Oregon reached the sweet 16 and lost to USC. USC and Oregan State are in the Elite 8 with UCLA.
Though the four consecutive losses looked bad for us. These were all tougher teams than anyone thought.
Agreed, our 4 consecutive losses don’t look *as* bad now. It’s crazy that SC has been winning their tournament games by an average of 21 pts - although that’s also mostly due to them destroying Kansas by 34 points