PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 12, 2022

Mick Cronin

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Jules Bernard

UCLA Bruins

Postgame Press Conference

Arizona - 84, UCLA - 76

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by UCLA.

COACH CRONIN: I thought Arizona was the tougher team down the stretch. That's where the game was decided. They were more physical. Our defense left a lot to be desired, to say the very least.

Hopefully we will watch film and learn a lot about what it takes to beat a great team. But you give up 40 points in the paint and 23 free throws, you're not beating anybody, let alone a team as good as Arizona. But a lot of it has to do with their talent level. So congratulations to them.

Q. Their length obviously became a bigger factor as the game progressed. What were they doing particularly in the second half to -- their length became a big issue as the game progressed?

COACH CRONIN: Their length is always an issue. But in the art of war you use the other team's strength against them. So you've got to pass the ball. So we got out -- we're minus-11 in assists total. So we didn't get the job done. I didn't get that across to the team. So that's my fault.

We got 11 shots blocked. We didn't pass the ball. When they rotate to block a shot, you gotta pass the ball to the open man.

Q. When they went on the 15-2 run, you guys were up by 12. What shifted, what changed?

COACH CRONIN: From that point on they just played hard. They were the more physical team. They played much harder. Our defense broke down. We gave up back doors.

When you play great teams it's a test of two wills. As hard as it is for me to swallow -- because I made a career out of never losing because of that -- if my teams have gone down it's because the other teams just got better players. They may, but I like my team. I wouldn't trade them. But they were the tougher team. It's hard for me to say but that's the truth.

I told our guys in the locker room, the only way we're going to learn from this is if we can look in the mirror and admit what happened, from that run, whatever the time was from that run. We've got to admit it.

Last year we were the tougher team in March for a lot of games. And that's why we went where we went. If we learn that lesson then today will be worth it. But they taught us that lesson today.

Q. The 15-2 run and a couple other times kind of felt like a road environment as opposed to a neutral site. What was your takeaway on the environment, how loud the Arizona crowd was?

COACH CRONIN: I have no take away. Don't care, couldn't care less. Again, if you need a crowd to win games, you're not going anywhere. You've got no chance, no chance. You ain't tough enough to deal with whatever the environment is, you're not going to get anywhere as a team. Again I pride myself -- that should never be a factor.

Q. That big run in the second half and not able to get too many times down the stretch, what were your thoughts on what went wrong with the defense the back half of the second half.

JULES BERNARD: I think it may have been a snowball effect. We started out the half with two back doors, one on me and one on someone else. But, regardless, I feel like just their energy on both ends was better than ours. And it showed, especially on the defensive end.

I feel like they made their cuts hard. They ran their offense hard. And I just feel like we may have been a little lackluster. And down the stretch it showed. And they got a lot of easy, easy buckets at the rim, which when you're trying to make a run it's demoralizing.

Q. Jaime, what was it like to score inside with their long arms, two 7-footers, sometimes both on the court at the same times, and they rotated over well.

JAIME JAQUEZ JR.: Like you said, they're big, two 7-footers, tough to go against. I didn't pass it out as I should have. Couple times I went up, got blocked and should have passed it out. When I did that we got some open clean looks. But we have to deal with it.

COACH CRONIN: A game like that, he couldn't get a 3 to go down. He had some good looks. When you guard him with a bigger guy, if he knocks down 3s, then they have to adjust. Maybe put a smaller guy on them. He had some good looks; they just didn't go down for him. Like I said, I wouldn't trade him or anybody else on my team.

Q. Was it good to see Johnny get a shooting night like this and kind of get going in the first half before a big tournament?

COACH CRONIN: It's a matter of him getting multiple games, getting his rhythm back. You've got to take that as a positive, I would agree.

Q. How big a factor was foul trouble for Myles and Cody?

COACH CRONIN: Big. Big. It wasn't good. But again they forced that. So you've got to give them credit for that.

Q. Expanding on that, Kenny obviously played some big minutes in March Madness last year. He came in because of the foul trouble tonight. What do you think you got out of him?

COACH CRONIN: He was fine, except he gave up one and-one which is a cardinal sin for us. But he did fine in his time.